Library  of  the  Theological  Seminary 

PRINCETON         «      NEW    JERSEY 


From  the  Library  of 
Professor  William  Henry  Green 
1903 
BR85  .S68 

Spurgeon,  C.  H.  (Charles  Haddon), 
_1834-1892. 

"Types  and  emblems  :  being  a  collection  of 
sermons  preached  on  Sunday  and  Tliursda 
wvcnings  at  the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle  / 


TYPES  KM  EMBLEMS 


BEING 


A  COLLECTION  OF   SERMONS 


PBEACHBD 


ON  SUNDAY  AND  THUESDAY  EVENINGS 


AT  THE 


METROPOLITAN  TABERNACLE, 


BY 


C.    H.    SPURGEON. 


NEW    YORK: 

Sheldon  &  Company, 

677  BROADWAY. 


Works  of  the  Rev.  C,  H.  Spurgeon. 


Mr.  Spurgeon  undoubtedly  occupies  the  position  of  greatest 
celebrity  at  the  present  moment  among  living  preachers. 

Sermons  of  the  Jtev.  C.  S.  Spurgeon,    In  uniform  styles  of  binding. 
Nine  vols.    $1.50  each. 

Spurgeon'8  Gems.    Being  brilliant  passages  from  his  sermons.    One  vol. 
12mo.    Price,  $1.50. 

Morning  by  Morning  ;  or,  Daily  Bible  Readings.    Price,  $1.75. 

Evening  by  Evening  ;  or.  Readings  at  Eventide.    Price,  $1.75. 

The  Saint  and  his  Saviour,    Price,  $1.50. 

Gleanings  among  the  Sheaves.    One  vol.  16mo.     Price,  $1.25. 

John  PlotigJiman^s  Talk;  or,  Plain  Advice  to  Plain  People.    One 

vol.  16mo.    Price,  90  cts. 

Types  and  Etnblem^s.    Price,  $1.25. 


ADVERTISEMENT 


This  book  is  called  for.  Not  a  few  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's 
friends  think  that  "  none  of  his  words  should  fall  to 
the  ground."  They  are  hardly  content  with  the  issue 
of  his  Sunday  Morning  Sermons,  but  they  want  the 
Evening  Sermons  also.  To  meet  this  demand  we 
propose  to  publish  a  series,  of  which  "  Types  and 
Emblems  "  is  the  first  volume.  The  sermons  it  con- 
tains have  been  selected  from  a  large  number  preached 
by  him  on  Sunday  and  Thursday  evenings.  It  is 
hoped  that  the  size  and  type  will  be  acceptable  to  his 
admirers. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


CONTENTS. 


PAOB 

The  Star  of  Jacob 7 

The  Broad  Wall 22 

The  Only  Door 41 

Royal  Emblems  for  Loyal  Subjects      .        .        .        .61 

A  Frail  Leaf 78 

The  Helmet 93 

One  Trophy  for  Two  Exploits 112 

Christ  the  Tree  of  Life 134 

A  Silly  Dove 148 

Our  Banner 164 

Our  Champion 179 

The  Fainting  Hero 194 

Women's  Rights.— A  Parable 209 

Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings     ....  225 

David's  First  Victory 247 

David  and  his  Voluntbebs     .        .        .        .        .        .  270 


^\t  Bin  of  latok 

"  There  shall  come  a  Star  out  of  Jacob." — Numbers  xxiv.  17. 

HIS  prophecy  may  have  some  reference  to 
David  ;  but  we  feel  persuaded  that  the  true 
design  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  set  forth  an 
emblem  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  All 
nature,  above  as  well  as  around  us,  is  laid 
under  contribution  to  set  forth  our  Lord.  All  the 
flowers  of  the  field  and  many  of  the  beasts  of  the 
plain,  and  now  the  very  orbs  of  heaven,  are  turned 
into  metaphors  and  symbols  by  which  the  glory  of 
Jesus  may  be  manifested  to  us.  Where  God  takes 
such  pains  to  teach,  we  ought  to  be  at  pains  to  learn. 
Where  he  makes  heaven  and  earth  to  be  the  pages  of 
the  book,  we  ought  to  be  most  ardent  in  our  study. 
Oh,  you  who  have  neglected  to  learn  of  Christ,  may 
that  neglect  come  to  an  end,  and  may  some  word  be 
spoken  which  shall  be  as  the  beaming  of  a  star  unto 
the  darkness  of  your  soul,  that  henceforth  you  may  be 
led  to  know  Christ,  and  to  be  found  in  him. 

Our  Lord,  then,  is  compared  to  a  star,  and  we  shall 
have  seven  reasons  to  assign  for  this. 

I.  He  is  called  a  star  ?s  the  Symbol  of  Government. 
You  will  observe  how  evidently  it  is  connected  with  a 


8  Types  and  Emblems. 

sceptre  and  with  a  conqueror.  Jacob  was  to  be  blessed 
with  a  valiant  leader  who  should  become  a  triumphant 
sovereign.  Very  frequently  in  oriental  literature  their 
great  men,  and  especially  their  great  deliverers,  are 
called  stars.  The  star  has  been  constantly  associated 
with  monarchy,  and  even  in  our  own  country  we  still 
look  upon  the  star  as  one  of  the  emblems  of  lofty  rank. 
Behold,  then,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Star  of 
Jacob.  He  is  the  Captain  of  his  people,  the  Leader 
of  the  Lord's  hosts,  the  King  in  Jeshurun,  God  over 
all,  glorious  and  blessed  for  ever! 

We  may  say  of  Jesus  in  this  respect  that  he  has  an 
authority  which  he  has  inherited  hy  right.     He  made 
all  things,  and  by  him  all  things  consist.     It  is  but 
just  tha't  he  should  rule  over  all  things.     As  there  is 
not  a  tongue  that  can  move  in  heaven  or  earth  except 
by  his  permission,  it  is  meet  that  every  tongue  should 
confess  that   he   is   Lord,  to  the   glory   of   God   the 
Father.     Oh,  that  men  were  just  towards  the  Son  of 
God  !     Would  that  their  rebellious  souls  would  give 
way  to  the  force  of  rectitude— that   they  would  no 
longer  say,  "Let  us  break  his  bonds  asunder,  and  cast 
his'cords  from  us !  "     Unconverted  men,  I  would  that 
you  would  yield  to  Jesus.     He  has  a  right  to  you.     It 
is  through  his  intercession  that  your  forfeited  life  is 
still  spared.     It  is  by  his  divine  goodness  that  you  are 
where   you   are   to-night.     Through   his   mediatorial 
sovereignty  it  is  that  you  are  suffered  to  be  on  praying 
ground  and  pleading  terms  with  God.     Give  him  his 
due  then.     Eob  him  not  of  the  allegiance  which  he  so 
justly    claims.     Give  not   your    spirit   over   to   that 
exacting  tyrant  who  seeks  to  compass  your  dettruc- 


The  Star  of  Jacob.  9 

tion.  Bow  the  knee  and  kiss  the  Son,  even  now,  lest 
he  be  angry,  and  ye  perfeh  from  the  way.  Acknowl- 
edge Him  to  be  your  Lord. 

Our  Lord  as  a  star  has  an  a^dhority  which  he  has 
valiantly  won.  "Wlierever  Christ  is  king  he  has  had 
a  great  and  a  stern  fight  for  it.  Kemember  the  dread 
conflict  in  Gethsemane  in  which  he  says,  "  I  have 
trodden  the  wine  press  alone."  When  he  came  red  with 
his  own  gore  from  Calvary,  he  had  in  fact  there  and 
then  put  to  flight  the  liosts  of  Bozrah  aud  of  Edom,  and 
stained  his  garments  with  the  victors  crimson.  He  who, 
then,  travelled  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength  is  mighty 
still  to  save.  In  every  human  heart  where  Jesus  reigns 
he  reigns  through  having  dislodged,  by  the  force  of  grace, 
the  old  tyrant  who  had  fixed  his  sovereignty  there.  The 
maintenance  of  that  sovereignty  within  the  heart  is  the 
result  of  the  same  powerful  sceptre  of  his  love  and  grace. 
Oh,  that  King  Jesus  would  put  forth  his  power  and  get 
a  throne  in  more  hearts  !  Believers,  do  you  not  long  to 
see  him  glorious?  I  know  you  do  if  you  love  him. 
You  would  live  for  this,  you  would  die  for  this ; — that 
Christ  might  have  his  own,  and  drive  the  milk-white 
steeds  of  triumph  through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  all 
his  people  bowing  before  him  and  strewing  his  pathway 
with  their  honors.  O  sinners  !  would  to  God  that 
you  would  yield  to  him.  I  pray  that  now^  he  may  gird 
his  sword  upon  his  thigh,  and  by  the  power  of  grace 
constrain  you  to  bow  your  Avilling  necks  to  his  silver 
sceptre.  Brethren  and  sisters,  it  is  a  mournful  fact 
that  Christ  has  so  small  a  part  of  the  world  as  yet  in  his 
royal  power.  See,  the  gods  of  the  heathen  stand  fast 
upon  their  pedestals.     The  old  harlot  of  Rome  still 


10  Types  and  Eniblems. 

flaunts  in  her  scarlet.  The  crescent  of  Mahomed  wanes, 
but  still  its  baleful  light  is.  cast  athwart  the  nations. 
Why  tarries  he  ?  Perhaps  his  finger  is  on  the  latch  ;  it 
may  be  that  he  will  come  ere  long. — Come  quickly 
Lord  !  our  yearning  hearts  beseech  thee  to  come ! 
Meanwhile,  it  is  for  you  and  for  me  to  be  fighting,  each 
soldier  in  his  rank,  each  man  standing  in  his  place,  as 
his  master  has  bidden  him,  contendins:  with  heart 
and  soul  and  strength  for  the  right  and  for  the  true, 
for  faith,  for  holiness,  for  the  cross,  and  all  that 
that  cross  indicates  among  the  sons  of  men.  Blessed 
Star  of  Jacob  !  Thou  shinest  with  no  borrowed  rays ; 
thou  shinest  with  a  mysterious  power  which  none  gave 
to  thee,  for  it  is  inherently  thine  own. 

Before  we  leave  this  point,  I  will  only  say  this  king- 
dom of  Christ,  wherever  it  is,  is  most  henejicent.  Wher- 
ever this  star  of  government  shines,  its  rays  scatter 
blessing.  Jesus  is  no  tyrant.  He  rules  not  by  oppres- 
sion. The  force  he  uses  is  the  force  of  love.  There 
was  never  a  subject  of  Christ's  kingdom  that  com- 
plained of  him.  Those  who  have  served  him  most 
have  longed  to  serve  him  more.  Why,  even  his  poor 
martyrs  in  the  catacombs  of  Eome,  dying  of  starvation, 
or  dragged  up  to  the  Colosseum  to  be  devoured  by 
wild  beasts,  never  said  an  ill  word  of  him.  Certainly 
if  it  was  hard  to  any  it  seemed  to  be  hard  to  them  ;  but 
the  more  they  were  troubled  the  more' they  rejoiced, 
and  there  never  were  sweeter  songs  than  those  which 
came  from  dying  lips  when  men  were  crackling  on  the 
faggot,  or  being  dragged  limb  from  limb  at  the  heels  of 
wild  horses,  or  being  sawn  asunder.  Just  in  propor- 
tion as  the  bodily  pains  became  acute,  the  spiritual  joy 


The  Star  of  Jacob,  11 

became  intense ;  and  while  the  outward  man  decayed, 
the  inner  man  leaped  up  into  newness  of  life,  antici- 
pating the  joys  of  the  first-born  before  the  throne.  He 
is  a  good  master.  Young  people,  I  would  that  you 
would  serve  him  !  Oh  !  that  you  were  enlisted  in  his 
service.  It  is  now  a  good  many  years  since  I  gave  my 
heart  to  him,  it  is  fast  getting  on  for  twenty  years,  but 
I  cannot  say  a  word  against  him.  Nay,  but  I  wish  I 
had  always  served  him ;  I  wish  I  had  served  him 
before,  and  I  do  pray  that  he  may  use  me  to  the  full- 
est extent.  If  he  will  make  but  a  door-mat  for  his 
temple  of  me  I  shall  be  but  too  glad.  If  he  will  let 
my  name  be  cast  out  as  evil  and  give  my  body  to  the 
dogs,  I  do  not  care  as  long  as  his  truth  does  but  prosper, 
and  his  name  becomes  great.  But  alas  !  there  is  so  much 
self  in  us,  pride  and  I  know  not  what  besides,  that  we 
who  really  know  the  master  have  reason  to  ask  him  to 
bring  in  his  great  artillery  and  blow  down  the  castles 
of  our  natural  corruption,  conquer  us  yet  again,  and 
rule  in  us  by  main  force  of  grace,  till  in  every  part  and 
corner  of  our  spirits  there  shall  be  nothing  but  the  love 
of  Christ  and  the  indwelling  of  his  gracious  Spirit. 
By  the  star  we  understand  the  symbol  of  government. 

II.  In  the  second  place,  the  star  is  the  Image  of 
Brightness. 

When  men  wish  to  speak  of  brightness  they  talk  of 
the  stars.  They  who  are  righteous  are  as  the  stars,  and 
they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  shall  shine  as  the 
stars  for  ever  and  ever.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is 
brightness  itself.  The  star  is  but  a  poor  setting  forth 
of  his  ineffable  splendor.  Oh  !  let  the  thought  come 
home   to  you.     He  is  the  brightness  of  his  Father's 


12  Types  and  Emhlems, 

glory — unutterably  bright  as  the  Deity.  He  is  bright- 
ness himself  in  his  human  nature,  for  in  him  there  was 
neither  spot  nor  wrinkle.  As  Mediator,  exalted  on 
high,  enjoying  the  reward  of  his  pains,  he  is  bright 
indeed.  Observe,  that  our  Lord  as  a  star  is  a  bright 
particular  star  in  the  matter  of  holiness.  In  him  was 
no  sin.  Look,  and  look,  and  look  again  into  his  star- 
like character.  Even  the  lynx-eyes  of  infidels  have 
not  been  able  to  discover  a  mistake  in  him  ;  and  as  for 
the  attentive  eyes  of  critics  who  have  been  believers, 
they  have  been  made  to  water  again  and  again,  and 
then  to  glisten  and  sparkle  with  delight  as  they  have 
seen  the  mingling  of  all  the  perfections  in  his  adorable 
character  to  make  up  one  perfection. 

As  a  star,  he  shines  also  with  the  light  of  knowledge. 
Moses  was,  as  it  were,  but  a  mist,  but  Christ  is  the  pro- 
phet of  light.  "  The  law  w^as  given  by  Moses  " — a 
thing  of  types  and  shadows — "  but  grace  and  truth 
come  by  Jesus  Christ."  If  any  man  be  taught  in  the 
things  of  God,  he  must  derive  his  light  from  the  Star 
of  Bethlehem.  You  may  go  as  you  will  to  the  uni- 
versities, to  the  tomes  of  the  learned,  to  the  schools  of 
the  philosophers,  but  in  spiritual  things  you  receive 
no  light  till  you  look  up  to  Jesus,  and  then  in  his  light 
you  see  light,  for  there  is  transcendent  brightness  in 
him.  He  is  the  wisdom  of  God  as  well  as  the  pov^-er 
of  God ;  he  is  the  w^ay,  the  truth,  and  the  life.  Divine 
light  has  found  its  centre  in  him  ! 

His  light  too  is  that  of  comfort.  Oh  !  how  many 
have  emerged  from  the  darkness  of  their  souls  and 
found  peace  by  looking  up  to  this  Star  of  Jacob,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ!     Well  did  our  hymn  put  it — 


The  Star  of  Jacob.  13 

"  He  is  my  soul's  bright  Morning  Star, 
And  he  my  Rising  iSun." 

One  glimpse  of  Christ  and  the  midnight  of  your 
unbelief  is  over.  But  a  sight  of  the  five  wounds  and 
your  sins  are  covered  and  your  iniquities  put  away. 
Happy  day,  happy  day,  when  first  the  soul  beholds  a 
crucified  Redeemer,  and  gives  herself  up  to  him,  rely- 
ing upon  him  for  eternal  salvation.  Shine,  sweet  Star 
— shine  into  some  benighted  heart  to-night  1  Give 
thou  holiness,  give  light,  give  the  knowledge  of  God, 
give  thou  joy  and  peace  in  believing,  in  believing  in 
the  precious  blood ! 

When  speaking  upon  Christ  as  a  star,  '*  the  Sym- 
bol of  Government,'-  I  said,  submit  to  him.  Now, 
speaking  of  him  as  a  star,  the  Image  of  Brightness,  I 
say  look  to  him — look  to  him.  It  is  the  Gospel's 
precept.  "Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved  all  ye 
ends  of  the  earth,"  and  well  do  we  sing — 

"  There  is  life  for  a  look  at  the  Crucified  One." 

Poor  sinner,  delay  no  longer.  You  are  not  asked 
to  do  anything,  nor  to  be  anything,  nor  to  feel  any- 
thing; but  you  are  simply  bidden  to  look  away  from 

self  to  what  Christ  has  done,  and  you  shall  live. 

• 

"  View  him  prostrate  in  the  garden, 
On  the  ground  your  Maker  lies ; 
On  the  bloody  tree  behold  him, 
Hear  him  cry  before  he  dies — 

'  It  is  finished/ 
Sinner,  will  not  this  suflSce?" 

Look  to  him  then  and  live. 

III.  Thirdly,  our  Lord  is  compared  to  a  star  to  bring 
out  the  fact,  that  he  is  the  Pattern  of  Constancy. 
Ten    thousand   chanires  have  been  wrouj^rht    since 


14:  Types  and  Emblems, 

the  world  began,  but  the  stars  have  not  changed. 
There  they  remain.  We  dreamed  at  one  time  that 
they  moved.  Untaught  imagination  said  that  all 
those  stars  revolved  around  this  little  globe  of  ours. 
But  we  know  better  now.  There  they  are  both  day 
and  night — always  the  same,  and  we  may  say  they 
have  not  changed  since  the  world  began,  nor  probably 
will  they  till  like  a  vesture  God  shall  roll  creation  up 
because  it  is  worn  out.  It  is  very  delightful  to  recol- 
lect that  the  same  star  which  I  looked  at  last  night 
was  viewed  by  Abraham,  perhaps  with  some  of  the 
self-same  thoughts.  And  when  we  have  gone,  and 
other  generations  shall  have  followed  us,  those  that 
come  after  will  look  up  to  the  self-same  star.  So 
with  our  Lord  Jesus.  He  is  the  same  yesterday, 
to-da}^  and  for  ever.  What  the  prophets  and  apostles 
saw  in  him,  we  can  see  in  him,  and  what  he  was  to 
them,  that  he  is  to  us,  and  shall  be  to  generations  yet 
unborn.  Hundreds  of  us  may  be  looking  at  the 
same  star  at  the  same  time  without  knowing  it. 
There  is  a  meeting-place  for  many  eyes.  We  may 
be  drifted,  some  of  us,  to  Australia,  or  to  Canada,  or 
to  the  United  States,  or  we  may  be  sailing  across  the 
great  deep,  but  we  shall  see  the  stars  there.  It  is 
true  that  on  the  other  side  of  the  world  we  shall  see 
another  set  of  stars,  but  the  stars  themselves  are 
always  still  the  same.  As  far  as  we  in  this  atmo- 
sphere are  concerned,  we  shall  look  upon  some  star. 
So,  wherever  we  may  be,  we  look  to  the  same  Christ. 
One  brother  here  has  learning,  but  as  he  looks  to 
Christ,  he  sees  the  same  Christ  as  the  poor  unlettered 
woman  in  the  aisles.     And  you,  poor  man,  who  have 


The  Star  of  Jacob.  15 

not,  perhaps,  a  sixpence  in  the  world,  you  have  got 
the  same  Christ  to  trust  in  as  the  richest  man  in  all 
the  world.  And  you  who  think  yourself  so  obscure 
that  no  one  knows  you  but  your  God,  you  look  to 
this  same  star,  and  it  shines  with  the  same  beams  for 
you,  as  for  the  Christian  who  leads  the  van  in  the 
Lord's  hosts.  Jesus  Christ  is  still  the  same,  the  same 
to  all  his  people,  the  same  in  all  places,  the  same  for 
ever  and  ever.  Well  therefore  may  he  be  compared 
to  those  bright  stars  that  shine  now  as  they  did  of 
old  and  change  not. 

ly.  In  the  fourth  place,  we  may  trace  this  comparison 
of  our  Lord  to  a  star  as  the  Fountain  of  Influence.  ^'&i\{ 

The  old  astrologers  used  to  believe  very  strongly 
in  the  influence  of  the  stars  upon  men's  minds.  With- 
out indorsing  their  exploded  fallacies,  we  meet  in 
Scripture  with  expressions  like  this: — "Canst  thou 
bind  the  sweet  influences  of  the  Pleiades,  or  loose  the 
bands  of  Orion  ? " — alluding,  no  doubt,  to  the  fact 
that  the  Pleiades  are  in  the  ascendant  in  the  sweet 
months  of  spring,  when  the  warm  breath  and  gentle 
showers  are  bringing  forth  the  green  sprout  and 
tender  blade,  the  foliage  and  the  flowers  of  May, 
with  all  the  loveliness  of  the  season,  while  Orion  is  in 
the  ascendant  as  a  wintry  sign,  when  the  bands  of  frost 
are  binding  up  the  outburst  of  nature.  But,  whether 
there  be  an  influence  in  the  stars  or  not,  as  touching 
this  world,  I  know  there  is  great  influence  in  Christ 
Jesus.  He  is  the  fountain  of  all  holy  influences 
among  the  sons  of  men.  Where  this  star  shines  upon 
the  graves  of  men  vAio  are  dead  in  sin  they  begin  to 
live.     Where  the  beam  of  this  star  shines  upon  poor 


16  Types  and  EtnbUms. 

imprisoned  spirits,  their  chains  drop  off,  the  captive 
leaps  to  lose  his  chains.  When  this  star  gleams  upon 
a  burdened  Christian  with  its  light,  he  begins  to  bnd 
and  blossom,  and  precious  fruits  are  brought  forth. 
When  this  star  shines  upon  the  backslider,  he  begins 
to  mend  his  ways,  and  to  follow,  like  the  eastern 
sages,  its  light  till  he  finds  his  Saviour  once  more. 
This  star  has  an  influence  upon  our  nativity.  It  is 
through  its  benign  rays  that  we  are  born  again,  and 
in  our  horoscope  it  has  an  influence  upon  our  death, 
for  it  is  in  its  light  that  we  fall  asleep,  believing  that 
we  shall  wake  up  in  the  image  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Oh  !  sweet  star,  shine  on  me  always !  Kever  let  me 
miss  thy  rays  ;  but  may  I  always  walk  in  the  light 
thereof,  till  I  be  found  sitting  in  the  full  noontide 
heat  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  for  ever  and  ever. 

Y.  In  the  fifth  place,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may 
be  compared  to  a  star  as  a  Source  of  Guidance. 

There  are  some  of  the  stars  that  are  extremely 
useful  to  sailors.  I  scarcely  know  how  else  the  great 
wide  sea  would  be  navigated,  especially  if  it  were  not 
for  the  Polar  Star.  Jesus  is  the  Polar  Star  to  us. 
How  the  poor  negro  in  the  olden  times,  when  the 
curse  of  slavery  had  not  been  taken  away,  must  have 
blessed  God  for  that  pole  star — so  easy  to  find  out. 
Any  child  with  but  a  moment's  teaching  will  soon 
know  how  to  discover  it  in  the  midst  of  its  fellows  at 
night,  and  when  the  negro  had  once  learned  to  dis- 
tinguish the  star  that  shone  over  the  land  of  freedom, 
how  he  followed  it  through  the  ^reat  dismal  swamps, 
or  along  the  plains  which  were  more  dreadful  still ; 
how  he  could  ford  the  streams,  and   climb  the  moun- 


The  Star  of  Jacob.  17 

tains,  alwaj^s  cheered  by  the  sight  of  that  pole  star. 
Such  is  Jesus  Christ  to  the  seeker.  He  leads  to 
liberty  ;  he  conducts  to  peace.  Oh  !  I  wish  you  would 
follow  him,  some  of  you  who  are  going  about  a  thou- 
sand ways  to  find  peace  where  you  will  never  find  it. 
There  is  never  a  Sunday  but  1  try  to  speak,  sometimes 
in  gentler  tones,  and  at  other  seasons  with  thunder- 
ing notes,  the  simple  truth  that  Jesus  Christ  came 
into  the  world  to  save  sinners.  I  do  try  to  make  it 
plain  to  you  that  it  is  not  your  prayers  and  tears, 
your  doings,  your  willings,  your  anything,  that  can 
save  you,  but  that  all  your  help  is  laid  upon  one  that 
is  mighty,  and  that  you  must  look  alone  to  him.  Yet, 
sinners,  you  are  still  looking  to  yourselves.  You 
rake  the  dung  hills  of  your  human  nature  to  find  the 
pearl  of  great  price  which  is  not  there.  You  will  look 
beneath  the  ice  of  your  natural  depravity  to  find  the 
flame  of  comfort  which  is  not  there.  You  might  as 
well  seek  in  hell  itself  to  find  heaven  as  look  to  your 
own  works  and  merits  to  find  some  ground  of  trust. 
Down  with  them !  Down  with  them,  every  one  of 
them  !     Away  with  all  those  confidences  of  yours,  for 

"  None  but  Jesus,  none  but  Jesus, 
Can  do  helpless  sinners  good." 

Just  reverse  that  helm ;  and  shift  that  sail,  and  tack 
about !  Follow  not  the  wrecker's  beacon  on  yonder 
shore  luring  you  to  the  rocks  of  self-delusion,  but  where 
that  pole  star  guides,  thither  let  your  vessel  drift,  and 
pray  for  the  favoring  gales  of  the  blessed  Spirit  to 
guide  you  rightly  to  the  port  of  peace. 

YI.  Our  Lord  is  compared  to  a  star,  surely,  as  the 
Object  of  Wonder. 


18  Types  and  Emblems. 

One  of  the  first  lines  whicli  f  lill  many  of  you  ever 
learned  to  recite  was — 

"  Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  star. 
How  I  wonder  what  you  are ;" 

But  that  is  precisely  what  Galileo  might  have  said,  and 
exactly  what  the  greatest  astronomer  that  ever  lived 
might  say.  You  have  sometimes  looked  through  a 
telescope  and  have  seen  the  planets,  but  after  you  have 
looked  at  them  you  do  not  know  particularly  about 
them ;  and  those  who  are  busy  all  day  and  all  night  long 
taking  constant  observations,  I  think  will  tell  you  that 
the  result  is  rather  that  of  astonishment  than  of  intelli- 
gence.    Still  it  is 

"How  I  wonder  what  you  are." 

So  to  those  of  us  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  is  a  peer- 
less star;  but  oh,  brethren  !  we  may  well  wonder  what 
he  is.  We  used  to  think  when  we  were  little  ones  that 
the  stars  were  holes  pricked  in  the  skies,  through  which 
the  light  of  heaven  shone,  or  that  they  were  little 
pieces  of  gold-dust  that  God  had  strewn  about.  We 
do  not  think  so  now ;  we  understand  that  they  ar^ 
much  greater  than  they  look  to  be.  So,  when  we  were 
carnal,  and  did  not  know  King  Jesus,  we  esteemed 
him  to  be  very  much  like  anybody  else,  but  now  we 
begin  to  know  him,  we  find  out  that  he  is  much  great- 
er, infinitely  greater  than  we  thought  he  was.  And 
as  we  grow  in  grace,  we  find  him  to  be  more  glorious 
still.  A  little  star  to  our  view  at  first,  he  has  grown 
in  our  estimation  into  a  sun  now,  a  blazing  sun,  by 
whose  beams  our  soul  is  refreshed.  Ah !  but  when 
we  get  near  to  him,  what  will  he  be?     Imagine  your- 


The  Star  of  Jacob,  19 

self  borne  up  on  an  angel's  wing  to  take  a  journey  to  a 
star.  Travelling  at  an  inconceivable  rate  you  open 
your  eyes  on  a  sudden  and  say — "  How  wonderful ! 
Why,  that  which  was  a  star  just  now  has  become  as 
large  to  my  vision,  as  the  sun  at  noon-day."  "  Stop," 
says  the  angel ;  "  you  shall  see  greater  things  thai^ 
these,"  and,  as  you  speed  on,  the  disc  of  that  orb  ini 
creases,  till  it  is  equal  to  a  hundred  suns;  and  now  you 
say,  "But  what?  Am  I  not  near  it  now?"  "  JSToj'l 
says  the  angel,  "  that  enormous  globe  is  still  far,  fad 
away,"  and  when  you  come  to  it,  you  would  find  it  toj 
be  such  a  wondrous  world,  that  arithmetic  could  not 
compute  its  size;  scarcely  could  imagination  belt  it 
with  the  zone  of  fancy.  Now,  such  is  Jesus  Christ. 
I  said  he  grows  upon  his  people  here,  but  what  must 
it  be  to  see  him  there,  where  the  veil  is  lifted,  and  we 
behold  him  face  to  face  ?  Sometimes  we  long  to  find 
out  what  that  star  is,  to  know  him,  to  comprehend 
with  all  saints  what  are  the  heights  and  depths,  and  to 
know  the  love  of  Christ  which  passeth  knowledge;  but, 
meanwhile,  we  are  compelled  to  sit  down  and  sing — 

"  God  only  knows  the  love  of  God : 
Oh  that  it  now  were  shed  abroad 
In  this  poor  stony  heart." 

We  have  to  confess  that 

"  The  first-bom  sons  of  light 
Desire  in  vain  its  depth  to  see ; 
They  cannot  reach  the  mystery, 
The  length,  the  breadth,  the  height." 

VII.  But,  to  conclude,  the  metaphor  used  in  the  text 
may  well  bear  this  seventh  signification.  Our  Lord 
is  compared  to  a  star,  as  He  is  the  Herald  of  Glory. 

The  bright  and  morning  star  foretells  that  the  sun  is 


20  Types  and  Emblems. 

on  its  waj  to  gladden  the  earth  with  its  light.  Wherever 
Jesus  comes  he  is  a  great  prophet  of  good.  Let  him 
come  into  a  heart,  and,  as  soon  as  he  appears,  you  may 
rest  assured  that  there  is  a  life  of  eternity  and  joy  to 
come.  Let  Jesus  Christ  come  into  a  family,  and  what 
changes  he  makes  there.  Let  him  be  preached  with 
power  in  any  town  or  city,  and  what  a  herald  of  good 
thino^s  he  is  there.  To  the  whole  world  Christ  has 
proclaimed  glad  tidings.  His  coming  has  been  fraught 
with  benedictions  to  the  sons  of  men.  Yea,  the  coming 
of  Christ  in  the  flesh  is  the  great  prophecy  of  the  glory 
to  be  revealed  in  the  latter  daj- s,  when  all  nations  shall 
bow  before  him,  and  the  age  of  peace,  the  golden  age 
shall  come,  not  because  civilization  has  advanced,  not 
because  education  has  increased,  or  the  world  grown 
better,  but  because  Christ  has  come.  This  is  the  first, 
the  fiiirest  of  the  stars,  the  prognostic  of  the  dawn. 

Ay,  and  because  Christ  has  come,  there  will  be  a 
heaven  for  the  sons  of  men  who  believe  in  him.  Sons 
of  toil,  because  Christ  has  come,  there  shall  be  rest 
for  the  weary.  Daughters  of  sorrow,  because  Christ 
has  come,  there  shall  be  healing  for  the  weak.  O  you 
whom  chill  penury  is  bowing  down  !  there  shall  be 
lifting  up  and  sacred  wealth  for  you,  because  the  star 
has  shone.  Hope  on  !  hope  ever  !  Now  that  Jesus  has 
come^,  there  is  no  room  for  despair. 

I  commend  these  thoughts  to  you,  and  earnestly  ask 
you  once  again,  if  you  have  never  looked  to  Christ,  to 
trust  in  him  now ;  if  you  have  never  submitted  to  Jesus, 
to  submit  to  him  now;  if  you  have  never  confided  in 
him,  to  confide  in  him  now.  It  is  a  very  simple  matter. 
May  God  the  Holy  Spirit  teach  and  guide  you  to  disown 


The  Star  of  Jacob,  21 

yourselves,  and  to  acknowledge  him  ;  cease  from  your 
own  thoughts,  and  trust  his  word.  This  done  by 
3^ou  all,  there  is  proof  positive  that  all  is  done  for  you 
by  Christ.  You  are  his,  and  he  is  yours ;  where  lie 
is  shall  your  portion  be;  and  you  shall  belike  him, 
for  you  shall  see  him  as  he  is.  It  will  be  a  day  to  be 
had  in  remembrance  if  you  are  led  now  to  give 
yourselves  to  him.  I  well  recollect  when  my  heart 
yielded  to  his  Divine  grace ;  when  I  could  no  longer 
look  anywhere  else,  and  was  compelled  to  look  to  him. 
Oh,  come  ye  to  him  !  I  know  not  what  words  to  use, 
or  what  persuasions  to  employ.  For  your  own  sake, 
that  you  may  be  happy  now ;  for  eternity's  sake,  that 
you  may  be  happy  hereafter ;  for  terror's  sake,  that  you 
may  escape  from  hell ;  for  mercy's  sake,  that  you  may 
enter  into  heaven,  look  to  Jesus.  You  may  never  be 
bidden  to  do  so  again.  This  bidding  may  be  the  last, 
the  concluding  measure  which  shall  fill  up  the  heap 
of  your  guilt,  because  you  reject  it.  Oh  !  do  not  de- 
spise the  exhortation.  Let  the  prayer  go  up  quietly 
now  from  your  spirit,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sin- 
ner." Let  your  soul  wrestle  vehemently.  Let  your 
tongue  utter  its  mighty  resolve — 

"  I'll  to  tlie  gracious  King  approach, 
Whose  sceptre  pardon  gives  ; 
Perhaps  he  may  command  my  touch. 
And  then  the  suppliant  lives. 

I  can  but  perish  if  I  go, 

I  am  resolved  to  try  ; 
For,  if  I  stay  away,  I  know 

I  must  for  ever  die. 

But,  if  I  die  w^ith  mercy  sought. 

When  I  the  King  have  tried, 
That  were  to  die,  delightful  thought, 

As  sinner  never  died." 


"The  broad  wall." — Nehemiah  iii.  8. 

T  seems  that  around  Jerusalem  of  old,  in  the 
time  of  her  splendor,  there  was  a  broad  wall, 
which  was  her  defence  and  her  glorj.  Jerusa- 
lem is  a  type  of  the  Church  of  God.  It  is 
always  well  when  we  can  see  clearly,  distinctly, 
and  plainly,  that  around  the  Church  to  which  we  be- 
long there  runs  a  broad  wall. 

This  idea  of  a  broad  wall  around  the  Church  suofo^ests 

Bo 

three  things:  separation,  security,  2Ludi  enjoyment  Let 
us  examine  each  of  these  in  its  turn. 

I.  First,  the  separation  of  the  people  of  God  from 
the  world  is  like  that  broad  wall  surrounding  the  holy 
city  of  Jerusalem. 

When  a  man  becomes  a  Christian  he  is  still  in  the 
world,  but  he  is  no  longer  to  be  of  it.  He  was  an  heir 
of  wrath,  but  he  has  now  become  a  child  of  grace. 
Being  of  a  distinct  nature,  he  is  required  to  separate 
himself  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  as  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  did,  who  was  ''  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and 
separate  from  sinners."  The  Lord's  Church  was  sep- 
arated in  his  eternal  purpose.     It  was  separated  in  his 


The  Broad   Wall,  23 

covenant  and  decree.  It  was  separated  in  the  atone- 
ment, for  even  there  we  find  that  our  Lord  is  called 
"  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  especiallj^  of  them  that  be- 
lieve." An  actual  separation  is  made  by  grace,  is  car- 
ried on  in  the  work  of  sanctification,  and  will  be  com- 
pleted in  that  day  when  the  heavens  shall  be  on  fire, 
and  the  saints  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  the 
Lord  in  the  air ;  and  in  that  last  tremendous  day,  he 
shall  divide  the  nations  as  a  shepherd  divides  the  sheep 
from  the  goats,  and  then  there  shall  be  a  great  gulf 
fixed,  across  which  the  ungodly  cannot  go  to  the  right- 
eous, neither  shall  the  righteous  approach  the  wicked. 

Practically,  my  business  is  to  say  to  those  of  you  who 
profess  to  be  the  Lord's  people,  take  care  that  you 
maintain  a  hroad  wall  of  separation  hetvjcen  yourselves 
and  the  world.  I  do  not  say  that  you  are  to  adopt 
any  peculiarity  of  dress,  or  to  take  up  some  singular 
style  of  speech.  Such  aifectation  gendereth,  sooner  or 
later,  hypocrisy.  A  man  be  as  thoroughly  worldly  in 
one  coat  as  in  another,  he  may  be  quite  as  vain  and 
conceited  with  one  style  of  speech  as  with  another ; 
nay,  he  may  be  even  more  of  the  world  when  he  pre- 
tends to  be  separate,  than  if  he  had  left  the  pretence 
of  separation  alone.  The  separation  which  we  plead 
for  is  moral  and  spiritual.  Its  foundation  is  laid  deep 
in  the  heart,  and  its  substantial  reality  is  very  palpable 
in  the  life. 

Every  Christian,  it  seems  to  me,  should  be  more 
scrupulous  than  other  men  in  his  dealings.  He  must 
never  swerve  from  the  path  of  integrity.  He  should 
never  say,  "  It  is  the  custom  :  it  is  perfectly  understood 
in  the  trade."    Let  the  Christian  remember  that  custom 


24  Tijjpes  and  Emhlems. 

cannot  sanction  wrong,  and  that  its  being  "  under- 
stood "  is  no  apology  for  misrepresentation.  A  lie 
"  understood  "  is  not  therefore  true.  While  the  golden 
rale  is  more  admired  than  practised  by  ordinary  men, 
the  Christian  should  always  do  unto  others  as  he  would 
that  they  should  do  unto  him.  He  should  be  one  whose 
word  is  his  bond,  and  who,  having  once  pledged  his 
word,  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt,  but  changeth  not. 
There  ought  to  be  an  essential  difference  between  the 
Christian  and  the  best  moralist,  by  reason  of  the  higher 
standard  which  the  gospel  inculcates,  and  the  Saviour 
has  exemplified.  Certainly,  the  highest  point  to  which 
the  best  unconverted  man  can  go  might  well  be  looked 
upon  as  a  level  below  which  the  converted  man  will 
never  venture  to  descend. 

Moreover,  the  Christian  should  especially  be  dis- 
tinguished hy  his  pleasures,  for  it  is  here,  usually,  that 
the  man  comes  out  in  his  true  colors.  We  are  not 
quite  ourselves,  perhaps,  in  our  daily  toil,  where  our 
pursuits  are  rather  dictated  by  necessity  than  by  choice. 
We  are  not  alone ;  the  society  we  are  thrown  into 
imposes  restraints  upon  us  ;  we  have  to  put  the  bit  and 
the  bridle  upon  ourselves.  The  true  man  does  not  then 
show  himself;  but  when  the  day's  work  is  done,  then 
the  "  birds  of  a  feather  flock  together."  It  is  with  the 
multitude  of  traders  and  commercial  men  as  it  was  with 
those  saints  of  old,  of  whom,  when  they  were  liberated 
from  yjrison,  it  was  said,  "  Being  let  go,  they  went  unto 
their  own  company."  So  will  your  pleasures  and 
pastimes  give  evidence  of  what  your  heart  is,  and  where 
it  is.  If  3^ou  can  find  pleasure  in  sin,  then  in  sin  you 
choose  to  live,  and  unless  grace  prevent,  in  sin  you  will 


The  Broad   Wall.  25 

not  fail  to  perish.  Bat  if  your  pleasures  are  of  a  nobler 
kind,  and  your  companions  of  a  devouter  character ;  if 
you  seek  spiritual  enjoyments,  if  you  lind  your  happiest 
moments  in  worship,  in  communion,  in  silent  prayer,  or 
in  the  public  assembling  of  yourselves  with  the  people 
of  God,  then  your  higher  instincts  become  proof  of  your 
purer  character,  and  you  will  be  distinguished  in  your 
pleasures  by  a  broad  wall  which  effectually  separates 
you  from  the  world. 

Such  separation  should  be  carried,  I  think,  into  every- 
thing which  affects  the  Christian.  "  What  have  they  seen 
in  thy  house  1 "  was  the  question  asked  of  Hezekiah. 
When  a  stranger  comes  into  our  house  it  should  be  so 
ordered  that  he  can  clearly  perceive  that  the  Lord  is 
there.  A  man  ought  scarcely  to  tarry  a  night  beneath 
our  roof,  without  gathering  that  we  have  a  respect  unto 
him  that  is  invisible,  and  that  we  desire  to  live  and 
move  in  the  light  of  God's  countenance.  I  have  already 
said  that  I  would  not  have  you  cultivate  singularities  for 
singularity's  sake  ;  yet,  as  the  most  of  men  are  satisfied 
if  they  do  as  other  people  do,  you  must  never  be  satis- 
fied until  you  do  more  and  better  than  other  people, 
having  found  out  a  mode  and  course  of  life  as  far 
transcending  the  ordinary  worldling's  life,  as  the  path 
of  the  eade  in  the  air  is  above  that  of  the  mole  which 
burrows  under  the  soil. 

This  broad  wall  between  the  godly  and  the  ungodly 
should  he  most  conspicuous  in  the  spirit  of  our  mind. 
The  ungodly  man  has  only  this  w^orld  to  live  for ;  do 
not  wonder  if  he  lives  very  earnestly  for  it.  He  has 
no  other  treasure  ;  why  should  he  not  get  as  much  as  he 
can  of  this  ?  But  you,  Christian,  profess  to  have  immor- 
2 


26  Types  and  Emhlems. 

tal  life,  therefore,  your  treasure  is  not  to  be  amassed 
in  this  brief  span  of  existence.  Your  treasure  is  laid 
up  in  heaven  and  available  for  eternity.  Your  best 
hopes  overleap  the  narrow  bounds  of  time,  and  fly 
beyond  the  grave ;  your  spirit  must  not,  therefore,  be 
earth-bound  and  grovelling,  but  soaring  and  heavenly. 
There  should  be  about  you  always  the  air  of  one  who 
has  his  shoes  on  his  feet,  his  loins  girded,  and  his  staff 
in  his  hand — away,  away,  away  to  a  better  land.  You 
are  not  to  live  here  as  if  this  were  your  home.  You 
are  not  to  talk  of  this  world  as  though  it  were  to  last 
for  ever.  You  are  not  to  hoard  it  and  treasure  it  up, 
as  though  you  had  set  your  heart  upon  it,  but  3^ou  are 
to  be  on  the  wing  as  though  you  had  not  a  nest  here, 
and  never  could  have,  but  expected  to  And  your  rest- 
ing-place among  the  cedars  of  God,  in  the  hill-tops 
of  glory. 

Depend  upon  it,  the  more  unworldly  a  Christian  is 
the  better  it  is  for  him.  Methinks  I  could  mention 
several  reasons  why  this  wall  should  be  very  broad. 
Jf  you  are  sincere  in  your  profession y  there  is  a  very 
hroad  distinction  between  you  and  unconverted  people. 
J^obody  can  tell  how  far  life  is  removed  from  death. 
Can  you  measure  the  difference  ?  They  are  as  opposite 
as  the  poles.  Now,  according  to  your  profession,  you 
are  a  living  child  of  God,  you  have  received  a  new  life, 
whereas  the  children  of  this  world  are  dead  intres- 
passes  and  sins.  How  palpable  the  difference  between 
light  and  darkness  ?  Yet,  you  profess  to  have  been 
"  sometimes  darkness,"  but  now  you  are  made  "  light  in 
the  Lord."  There  is,  therefore,  a  great  distinction 
between  you  and  the  world  if  you  are  what  you  profess 


The  Broad   Wall.  27 

to  oe.  You  say,  when  you  put  on  the  name  of  Christ, 
that  you  are  going  to  the  Celestial  City,  to  the  New 
Jerusalem;  but  the  world  turns  its  back  upon  the 
heavenly  country,  and  goes  downward  to  that  other  city 
of  which  you  know  that  destruction  is  its  doom  ;  your 
path  is  different  from  theirs.  If  you  be  what  you  say 
you  are,  the  road  you  take  must  be  diametrically  oppo- 
site to  that  of  the  ungodly  man.  You  know  the  differ- 
ence between  their  ends.  The  end  of  the  righteous 
shall  be  glory  everlasting,  but  the  end  of  the  wicked 
is  destruction.  Unless  then  you  are  a  hypocrite,  there 
is  such  a  distinction  between  you  and  others  as  only  God 
himself  could  make — a  distinction  which  originates 
here,  to  be  perpetuated  throughout  eternity.  When  the 
social  diversities  occasioned  by  rank  and  dependency, 
riches  and  poverty,  ignorance  and  learning,  shall  all 
have  passed  away ;  the  distinctions  between  the  chil- 
dren of  God  and  the  children  of  men,  between  saints 
and  scoffers,  between  the  chosen  and  the  castaway, 
will  still  exist.  I  pray  you,  then,  maintain  a  broad 
wall  in  your  conduct,  as  God  has  made  a  broad  wall 
in  your  state  and  in  your  destiny. 

Ke member  again,  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  a 
hroad  wall  letioeen  him  and  the  ungodly.  Look  at  him 
and  see  how  different  he  is  from  the  men  of  his  time. 
All  his  life  long  you  observe  him  to  be  a  stranger  and 
a  foreigner  in  the  land.  Truly,  he  drew  near  to  sinners, 
as  near  as  he  could  draw,  and  he  received  them  when 
they  were  willing  to  draw  near  to  him  ;  but  he  did  not 
draw  near  to  their  sins.  He  was  "  holy,  harmless,  un- 
defiled,  and  separate  from  sinners."  When  he  went 
to  his  own  city  of  Nazareth,  'le  only  preached  a  single 


28  Types  and  Emhlems. 

sermon,  and  they  would  have  cast  him  headlong  down 
the  hill  if  they  could.  "When  h^e  passed  through  the 
street,  he  became  the  song  of  the  drunkard,  the  butt 
of  the  foolish,  the  mark  at  which  the  proud  shot  out 
the  arrows  of  tlieir  scorn.  At  last,  having  come  to  his 
own,  and  his  own  having  received  him  not,  they  deter- 
mined to  thrust  him  altogether  out  of  the  camp,  so 
they  took  him  to  Golgotha,  and  nailed  him  to  the  tree 
as  a  malefactor,  a  promoter  of  sedition.  He  was  the 
great  Dissenter,  the  great  l^onconformist  of  his  age. 
The  National  Church  first  excommunicated,  and  then 
executed  him.  He  did  not  seek  difference  in  things 
trivial ;  but  the  purity  of  his  life  and  the  truthfulness 
of  his  testimony,  roused  the  spleen  of  the  rulers  and 
the  chief  men  of  their  synagogues.  He  was  ready  in 
all  things  to  serve  them  and  to  bless  them,  but  he  never 
would  blend  with  them.  They  would  have  made  him 
a  king.  Ah  !  if  he  would  but  have  joined  the  world, 
the  world  would  have  given  him  the  chief  place,  as  the 
w^orld's  Prince  said  on  the  mountain  :  "  All  these  things 
will  I  give  thee,  if  thou  wilt  fall  down  and  worship ' 
me."  But  he  drives  away  the  fiend,  and  stands  immacu 
late  and  separate  even  to  the  close  of  his  life.  If  you 
are  a  Christian,  be  a  Christian.  If  you  follow  Christ, 
go  without  the  camp.  But  if  there  be  no  difference 
between  you  and  your  fellow-man,  what  will  3'ou  say 
unto  the  King  in  the  day  when  he  cometh  and  findeth 
that  you  have  on  no  wedding  garment  by  which  you 
can  be  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  mankind  ?  Be- 
cause Christ  made  a  broad  wall  around  himself,  there 
must  be  such  an  one  around  his  people. 

Moreover,  dear  friends,  you  will  find  that  a  hroad 


Th£-  Broad    Wall.  29 

wall  of  separation  is  abundantly  good  for  yourselves. 
I  do  not  think  any  Christian  in  the  world  will  tell  you 
that  when  he  has  given  way  to  the  world's  customs, 
he  has  ever  been  profited  thereby.  If  you  can  go  and 
find  an  evening's  amusement  in  a  suspicious  place,  and 
feel  profited  by  it,  I  am  sure  you  are  not  a  Christian ; 
for,  if  you  were  a  Christian  indeed,  it  would  pain  your 
conscience,  and  unfit  you  for  devouter  exercises  of  the 
heart.  Ask  a  fish  to  spend  an  hour  on  dry  land,  and, 
I  think,  did  it  comply,  the  fish  would  find  that  it  was 
not  much  to  its  benefit,  for  it  would  be  out  of  its  ele- 
ment. And  it  will  be  so  with  you  in  communion  with 
sinners.  When  you  are  compelled  to  associate  w4th 
worldly  people  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business,  you 
find  much  that  grates  upon  the  ear,  that  troubles  the 
heart,  and  annoys  the  soul.  You  will  be  often  like 
righteous  Lot,  vexed  with  the  conversation  of  the 
wicked,  and  you  will  say  with  David : 

"  Ah  !  woe  is  me  that  I 

In  Meshech  dwell  so  long  : 
That  I  in  tabernacles  stay. 
To  Kedar  that  belong  1 " 

Your  soul  would  pine  and  sigh  to  come  forth  and  wash 
your  hands  of  everything  that  is  impure  and  unclean. 
As  you  find  no  comfort  there,  you  will  long  to  get  away 
to  the  chaste,  the  holy,  the  devout,  the  edifying  fellow- 
ship of  the  saints.  Make  a  broad  wall,  dear  friends, 
in  your  daily  life.  If  you  begin  to  give  way  a  little  to 
the  world,  you  will  soon  give  way  a  great  deal.  Give 
sin  an  inch,  and  it  will  take  an  ell.  "  Take  care  of  the 
pence,  and  the  pounds  will  take  care  of  themselves," 
is  an  apt  motto  of  economy.  So,  too,  guard  against  lit- 
tle sins,  if  you  would  be  clear  of  the  great  transgression. 


30  TyjpeB  and  Emhlems, 

Look  after  the  little  approaches  to  worldliness,  the  lit- 
tle giviiigs-up  towards  the  things  of  ungodliness,  and 
then  you  will  not  make  provision  for  the  flesh  to  ful- 
fil the  lusts  thereof. 

Another  good  reason  for  keeping  up  the  broad  wall  of 
separation  is,  that  you  will  do  most  good  to  the  world 
thereby.  I  know  Satan  will  tell  you  that  if  you  bend  a 
little,  and  come  near  to  the  ungodly,  then  they  also  will 
come  a  little  way  to  meet  you.  Ay,  but  it  is  not  so. 
You  lose  your  strength,  Christian,  the  moment  you 
depart  from  3'our  integrity.  What  do  you  think  un- 
godly people  say  behind  your  back,  if  the}^  see  you 
inconsistent  to  please  them  ?  "  Oh  !  "  say  they,  "  there 
is  nothing  in  his  religion,  but  vain  pretence ;  the  man 
is  not  sincere."  Although  the  world  may  openly 
denounce  the  rigid  Puritan,  it  secretly  admires  him. 
When  the  big  heart  of  the  world  speaks  out,  it  has 
respect  to  the  man  that  is  sternly  honest,  and  will  not 
yield  his  principles — no,  not  a  hair's  breadth.  In  such 
an  age  as  this,  when  there  is  so  little  sound  convic- 
tion, when  principle  is  cast  to  the  winds,  and  when 
a  general  latitudinarianism,  both  of  thought  and  of 
practice,  seems  to  rule  the  day,  it  is  still  the  fact,  that  a 
man  who  is  decided  in  his  belief,  speaks  his  mind  boldly, 
and  acts  according  to  his  profession — such  a  man  is 
Bure  to  command  the  reverence  of  mankind.  Depend 
upon  it,  woman,  your  husband  and  your  children  will 
respect  you  none  the  more  because  you  say,  "  I  will  give 
up  some  of  my  Christian  privileges,"  or  "  I  will  go 
sometimes  with  you  into  that  which  is  sinful."  You 
cannot  help  them  out  of  the  mire  if  you  go  and  plunge 
into  the  mud  yourself.     You  cannot  help  to  make  them 


The  Broad    WaU,  31 

cleau  if  you  go  and  blacken  yonr  own  hands.  How  can 
you  wash  their  faces  then  ?  You  young  man  in  the  shop 
— you  young  woman  in  the  work-room — if  you  keep 
yourselves  to  yourselves  in  Christ's  name,  chaste  and 
pure  for  Jesus,  not  laughing  at  jests  which  should  make 
you  blush  :  not  mixing  up  with  pastimes  that  are  sus- 
picious ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  tenderly  jealous  of 
your  conscience  as  one  who  shrinks  from  a  doubtful 
thing  as  a  sinful  thing,  holding  sound  faith  and  being 
scrupulous  of  the  truth — if  you  will  keep  yourselves, 
your  company  in  the  midst  of  others  shall  be  as  though 
an  angel  shook  his  wings,  and  they  will  say  to  one 
another,  "  Refrain  from  this  or  that  just  now,  for  so- 
and-so  is  there."  They  will  fear  you,  in  a  certain 
sense  ;  they  will  admire  you,  in  secret ;  and  who  can 
tell  but  they,  at  last,  may  come  to  imitate  you. 

Would  ye  tempt  God  ?  Would  ye  challenge  the  deso- 
lating flood  ?  Whenever  the  church  comes  down  to 
mingle  with  the  world,  it  behooves  the  faithful  few  to 
fly  to  the  ark  and  seek  shelter  from  the  avenging  storm. 
When  the  sons  of  God  saw  the  daughters  of  men,  that 
they  were  fair  to  look  upon,  then  it  was  that  God  said 
it  repented  him  that  he  had  made  men  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth,  and  he  sent  the  deluge  to  sweep  them  away. 
A  separate  people  God's  people  must  be,  and  they  shall 
be.  It  is  his  own  declaration,  •'  The  people  shall  dwell 
alone  ;  they  shall  not  be  numbered  among  the  people." 
The  Christian  is,  in  some  respects,  like  the  Jew.  The 
Jew  is  the  type  of  the  Christian.  You  may  give  the 
Jew  political  privileges,  as  he  ought  to  have  ;  he  may- 
be adopted  into  the  State,  as  he  ought  to  be ;  but  a 
Jew  he  is,  and  a  Jew  he  must  be  still.     He  is  not  a 


32  Types  and  Emblems. 

Gentile,  even  though  he  calls  himself  English,  or  Por- 
tuguese, or  Spanisli,  or  Polish.  He  remains  one  of  the 
people  of  Israel,  a  child  of  Abraham,  a  Jew  still ;  and 
you  can  mark  him  as  such — his  speech  bewrajeth  him 
in  every  land.  So  should  it  be  with  the  Christian  ;  mix- 
ing lip  with  other  men,  as  he  must  in  his  daily  calling ; 
going  in  and  out  among  them,  like  a  man  among  men  ; 
trading  in  the  market;  dealing  in  the  shop;  mingling 
in  the  joys  of  the  social  circle;  taking  his  part  in 
politics,  like  a  citizen,  as  he  is ;  but,  at  the  same  time 
even,  having  a  higher  and  a  nobler  life,  a  secret  into 
which  the  world  cannot  enter,  and  showing  the  world 
by  his  superior  holiness,  his  zeal  for  God,  his  sterling 
integrity,  and  his  unselfish  truthfulness,  that  he  is  not 
of  the  world,  even  as  Christ  was  not  of  the  world. 
You  cannot  tell  how  concerned  I  am  for  some  of  you, 
that  this  broad  wall  should  be  kept  up ;  for  I  detect 
in  some  of  you  at  times  a  desire  to  make  it  very  narrow, 
and,  perhaps,  to  pull  it  down  altogether.  Brethren, 
beloved  in  the  Lord,  you  may  depend  upon  it  that 
nothing  worse  can  happen  to  a  church  than  to  be 
conformed  unto  this  world.  Write  "Ichabod"  upon 
her  walls  then ;  for  the  sentence  of  destruction  has 
gone  out  against  her.  But,  if  you  can  keep  yourselves  as 

"  A  garden  walled  around, 
Chosen  and  made  peculiar  ground." 

you  shall  have  your  Master's  company ;  your  graces 
shall  grow;  you  shall  be  happy  in  your  own  souls; 
and  Christ  shall  be  honored  in  your  lives. 

II.  Secondly ;  the  broad  wall  round  about  Jerusalem 

INDICATED  SAFETY. 

In  the  same  way,  a  broad  wall  round  Christ's  church 


The  Broad   Wall.  S3 

indicates  her  safety  too.  Consider  who  they  are  that 
belong  to  the  church  of  God.  A  man  does  not  become 
a  member  of  Christ's  church  by  baptism,  nor  by  birth, 
right,  nor  by  profession,  nor  by  moralit3\  Christ  is  the 
door  into  the  sheepfold;  q\qy^  one  who  believes  in 
Jesus  Christ  is  a  member  of  the  true  church.  Being  a 
member  of  Christ,  he  is  a  member,  consequently,  of  the 
body  of  Christ,  which  is  the  church.  Kow,  around 
the  church  of  God — the  election  of  grace,  the  redeemed 
by  blood,  the  peculiar  people,  the  adopted,  the  justified, 
the  sanctified — around  the  church  there  are  bulwarks 
of  stupendous  strength,  munitions  which  guard  them 
safely.  When  the  foe  came  to  attack  Jerusalem,  he 
counted  the  towers  and  bulwarks,  and  marked  them 
well ;  but  after  he  had  seen  the  strength  of  the  Holy 
City,  he  fled  away.  How  could  he  hope  ever  to  scale 
such  ramparts  as  those?  Brethren,  Satan  often  counts 
the  towers  and  bulwarks  of  the  IN'ew  Jerusalem.  Anx- 
iously does  he  desire  the  destruction  of  the  saints,  but 
it  shall  never  be.  He  that  rests  in  Christ  is  saved.  He 
who  hath  passed  through  the  gate  of  faith  to  rest  in 
Jesus  Christ  may  sing,  with  joyful  confidence — 

"  The  soul  that  on  Jesus  hath  lean'd  for  repose, 
I  will  not,  I  will  not  desert  to  his  foes ; 
That  soul,  though  all  hell  should  endeavor  to  shake, 
I'll  never,  no  never,  no  never  forsake." 

•*I  will  be,"  saith  Jehovah,  "awallof  fire  round  about 
thee."  Salvation  will  God  appoint  for  walls  and  bul- 
warks. 

The  Christian  is  surrounded  by  the  hroad  wall  of 

God^spower.  \i  God  be  omnipotent,  Satan  cannot  defeat 

him.     If  God's  power  be  on  my  side,  who,  then,  shall 

hurt  me  ?     "  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us  ? " 

2* 


34  Types  and  Emhlems. 

The  Christian  is  surrounded  by  the  broad  wall  of 
GocTs  love.  "Who  shall  prevail  against  those  whom  God 
loves  ?  I  know  that  it  is  vain  to  curse  those  whom  God 
hath  not  cursed,  or  to  defy  those  whom  the  Lord  hath 
not  defied ;  for  whomsoever  he  blesseth  is  blessed  in- 
deed. Balak,  the  son  of  Zippor,  sought  to  curse  the 
beloved  people,  and  he  went  lirst  to  one  hill-top  and 
then  to  another,  and  looked  down  upon  the  chosen 
camp.  But,  aha  !  Balaam,  thou  couldst  not  curse  them, 
though  Balak  sought  it !  Thou  couldst  only  say, "  They 
are  blessed,  yea,  and  they  shall  be  blessed ! " 

God's  law  is  a  broad  wall  around  us,  and  so  is  his 
Justice  too.  These  once  threatened  our  destruction,  but 
now  the  justice  of  God  demands  the  salvation  of  every 
believer.  If  Christ  has  died  instead  of  me,  it  would  not 
be  justice  if  I  had  to  die  also  for  my  sin.  If  God  has 
received  the  full  payment  of  the  debt  from  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  then  how  can  he  demand  the 
debt  again  ?     He  is  satisfied,  and  we  are  secure. 

The  iiniriutdbility  of  God,  also,  surrounds  his  people 
like  a  broad  wall.  "  I  am  God,  I  change  not ;  there- 
fore ye  sons  of  Jacob  are  not  consumed."  As  long  as 
God  is  the  same,  the  rock  of  our  salvation  will  be  our 
secure  hiding-place. 

Upon  this  delightful  truth,  we  might  linger  long, 
for  there  is  much  to  cheer  us  in  the  strong  security 
w^hich  God  has  given  in  covenant  to  his  people.  They 
are  surrounded  by  the  broad  wall  of  electing  love.  Doth 
God  choose  them,  and  will  he  lose  them?  Did  he 
ordain  them  to  eternal  life,  and  shall  they  perish  ?  Did 
he  engrave  their  names  upon  his  heart,  and  shall  those 
names  be  blotted  out  ?     Did  he  give  them  to  his  Son  to 


The  Broad   Wall.  35 

be  his  heritage,  and  shall  his  Son  lose  his  portion  ?  Did 
he  say,  "  Thej  shall  be  mine,  saith  the  Lord,  in  the  day 
when  I  make  up  my  jewels,"  and  shall  he  part  with 
them  ?  Has  he  who  maketh  all  things  obey  him  no 
power  to  keep  the  people  whom  he  has  formed  for  him- 
self to  be  his  ow^n  peculiar  heritage?  God  forbid  that 
we  should  doubt  it.  Electing  love,  like  a  broad  wall, 
surrounds  every  heir  of  grace. 

And  oh,  how  broad  is  the  wall  of  redeeming  love. 
Will  Jesus  fail  to  claim  the  people  he  bought  with  so 
great  a  price  ?  Did  he  shed  his  blood  in  vain  ?  How  can 
he  revive  enmity  against  those  w^hom  he  hath  once  rec- 
onciled unto  God,  not  imputing  their  trangressions  unto 
them  ?  Having  obtained  eternal  redemption  for  them, 
will  he  adjudge  them  to  everlasting  perdition  ?  Has  he 
purged  their  sins  by  sacrifice,  and  will  he  then  leave 
them  to  be  the  victims  of  satanic  craft  ?  By  the  blood  of 
the  everlasting  covenant,  every  Christian.may  be  assured 
that  he  cannot  perish,  neither  can  any  pluck  him  out 
of  Christ's  hand.  Unless  the  cross  were  all  a  perad- 
venture,  unless  the  atonement  were  a  mere  speculation, 
those  for  whom  Jesus  died  are  saved  through  his  death. 
Therefore  he  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  be 
satisfied. 

As  a  broad  wall  which  surrounds  the  saints  of  God  is 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Does  the  spirit  begin  an d 
not  finish  the  operations  of  his  grace  ?  Ah  no  ?  Does  he 
give  life  which  afterwards  dies  out  ?  Impossible  !  Hath 
he  not  told  us  that  the  Word  of  God  is  the  incorruptible 
seed,  which  liveth  and  abideth  for  ever?  And  shall 
the  powers  of  hell  or  the  evil  of  our  own  flesh  destroy 
what  God  has  pronounced  immortal,  or  cause  dissolu- 


36  Types  and  Emblems, 

tion  to  tliat  whicli  God  says  is  incorruptible  ?  Is  not  the 
Spirit  of  God  given  us  to  abide  with  us  for  ever,  and 
shall  he  be  expelled  from  that  heart  in  which  he  has 
taken  up  his  everlasting  dwelling  place-?  Brethren,  we 
are  not  of  their  mind,  who  are  led  by  fear  or  fallacy  to 
hazard  such  conjectures.  We  rejoice  to  say  with  Paul, 
*'  I  am  persuaded  that  he  who  hath  begun  a  good  work 
in  you  will  carry  it  on."     We  like  to  sing — 

"  Grace  will  complete  what  grace  begins, 
To  save  from  sorrows  or  from  sins ; 
The  work  that  wisdom  undertakes 
Eternal  mercy  ne'er  forsakes." 

Almost  every  doctrine  of  grace  affords  us  a  broad  wall, 
a  strong  bastion,  a  mighty  bulwark,  a  grand  munition  of 
defence.  Take,  for  instance,  Christ's  suretyship  en- 
gagements. He  is  surety  to  his  Father  for  his  people. 
When  he  brings  home  the  flock,  think  you  he  will  have 
to  report  that  some  of  them  are  lost  ?  At  his  hands 
will  they  be  required.     Not  so  ! 

"  I  know  that  safe  with  him  remains. 
Protected  by  his  power, 
What  I've  committed  to  his  hands, 
Till  the  decisive  hour." 

"  Here  am  I,"  will  he  say,  ^'and  the  children  whom 
thou  hast  given  me,  of  all  whom  thou  hast  given 
me  I  have  lost  none."  He  will  keep  all  the  saints 
even  to  the  end.  The  honor  of  Christ  is  involved. 
If  Christ  loses  one  soul  that  leans  upon  him,  the 
integrity  of  his  crown  is  gone;  for  if  there  should 
be  one  believing  soul  in  hell,  the  prince  of  darkness 
would  hold  up  that  soul  and  say — "  Aha  !  Thou  couldst 
not  save  them  all  I  Aha  !  Thou  Captain  of  Salvation, 
thou   wast   defeated   here !     Here   is   one  poor  little 


The  Broad   Wall.  37 

Benjamin,  one  Eeady-to-IIalt,  that  tliou  couldst  not 
bring  to  glory,  and  I  have  him  to  be  my  prey  for  ever  ! " 
Euttt  shall  not  be.  Every  gem  shall  be  in  Jesn's  crown. 
Every  sheep  shall  be  in  Jesii's  flock.  He  shall  not  be 
defeated  in  any  way,  or  in  any  measure ;  but  he  shall 
divide  the  spoil  with  the  strong,  he  shall  establish  the 
cause  he  undertakes,  he  shall  eternally  conquer ;  glory 
be  unto  his  great  and  good  name  ! 

Thus  I  have  tried  to  show  you  the  broad  walls  which 
are  round  about  believers.     They  are  saved,  and  they 
may  say  to  their  enemies,  "  the  virgin  daughter  of 
Zion  hath  shaken  her  head  at  them,  and  laughed  them 
to  scorn  !     Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of 
God's  elect?     It  is  God  that  justiiieth  ;  who  is  he  that 
conderaneth?     It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea,  rather  that 
liath  risen  again  from  the  dead;  who  sitteth  at  the 
rio-ht  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession  for 
us^!     For  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death,  nor  life, 
nor  angels,  nor  principahties,  nor  powers,  nor  things 
present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth, 
nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from 
the  love  of  God  which  is  inChrist  Jesus  our  Lord." 
III.  The  idea  of  a  broad  wall,  and  with  this  I  close, 

SUGGESTS    ENJOYMENT. 

The  walls  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon  were  broad  ;  so 
broad  that  there  was  found  room  for  several  chariots 
to  pass  each  other.  Here  men  walked  at  sunset,  and 
talked  and  promoted  good  fellowship.  If  you  have  ever 
been  in  the  city  of  York  you  will  know  how  interest- 
ing it  is"  to  walk  around  the  broad  walls  there.  But 
our  figure  is  drawn  from  the  Orientals.  They  were 
accustomed  to  come  out  of  their  houses  and  walk  on 


38  Types  and  Emhlems, 

the  broad  walls.  They  used  them  for  rest  from  toil, 
and  for  the  manifold  pleasures  of  recreation.  It  was 
very  delightful  when  the  sun  was  going  down,  and 
all  was  cool,  to  walk  on  those  broad  walls.  And  so, 
when  a  believer  comes  to  know  the  deep  things  of 
God,  and  to  see  the  defences  of  God's  people,  he 
walks  along  them  and  he  rests.  "  Now,"  saith  he,  "  I 
am  at  rest  and  peace ;  the  destroyer  cannot  molest  me  ; 
I  am  delivered  from  the  noise  of  archers  in  the  place 
of  the  drawing  of  water,  and  here  I  can  exercise  my- 
self in  prayer  and  meditation !  Now  that  salvation  is 
appointed  for  walls  and  bulwarks,  I  will  sing  a  song 
unto  him  who  hath  done  these  great  things  for  me ;  I 
will  take  my  rest  and  be  quiet  for  he  that  believeth  hath 
entered  into  rest ;  there  is,  therefore,  now  no  condemna- 
tion to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus."  Broad  walls, 
then,  are  for  rest,  and  so  are  our  broad  walls  of  salvation. 
Those  broad  walls  were  also  for  cominunion.  Men 
came  there  and  talked  with  one  another.  They  leaned 
over  the  wall  and  whispered  their  loving  words,  con- 
versed of  their  business,  comforted  one  another,  related 
their  troubles  and  their  joys.  So,  when  believers  come 
unto  Christ  Jesus  they  commune  with  one  another, 
with  the  angels,  with  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect,  and  with  Jesus  Christ  their  Lord,  who  is  best 
of  all.  Oh  !  on  those  broad  walls,  when  the  banner 
of  love  waves  over  them,  they  sometimes  rejoice  with, 
a  joy  unspeakable,  in  fellowship  with  him  who  loved 
them  and  gave  himself  for  them.  It  is  a  blessed  thing 
in  the  Church  when  you  get  such  a  knowlege  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  gospel  that  you  can  have  the  sweetest 
communion  with  all  the  Church  of  the  living  God. 


The  Broad   Wall,  39 

And  then  the  broad  walls  were  also  intended  for 
prospects  and  outlooks.  The  citizen  came  up  on  the 
broad  wall,  and  looked  away  from  the  smoke  and  dirt 
of  the  city  within,  right  across  to  the  green  fields,  and 
the  gleaming  river,  and  the  far  oil'  mountains,  delighted 
to  watch  the  mowing  of  hay,  or  the  reaping  of  corn,  or 
the  setting  sun  beyond  the  distant  hills.  It  was  one  of 
the  common  enjoyments  of  the  citizen  of  any  walled 
city,  to  come  to  the  top  of  the  wall  in  order  to  take 
views  afar.  So,  when  a  man  once  gets  into  the  altitudes 
of  gospel  doctrines,  and  has  learned  to  understand  the 
love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  w^hat  views  he  can  take ! 
How  he  looks  down  upon  the  sorrows  of  life  !  How  he 
looks  beyond  that  narrow  little  stream  of  death  !  How, 
sometimes,  when  the  weather  is  bright  and  his  eye  is 
clear  enough  to  let  him  use  the  telescope,  he  can  see 
within  the  gates  of  pearl,  and  behold  the  joys  w^hich  no 
mortal  eye  hath  seen,  and  hear  the  songs  which  no 
mortal  ear  hath  heard,  for  these  are  things,  not  for  eyes 
and  ears,  but  for  hearts  and  spirits!  Blessed  is  the 
man  who  dwelleth  in  the  Church  of  God,  for  he  can 
find  on  her  broad  walls  places  from  which  he  can  see 
the  king  in  his  beauty,  and  the  land  which  is  very 
farofi*! 

Ah  !  dear  friends,  I  wish  that  these  things  had  to  do 
with  you  all,  but  I  am  afraid  they  have  not ;  for  many  of 
you  are  outside  the  wall,  and  when  the  destroyer  comes 
none  will  be  safe  but  those  who  are  inside  the  wall  of 
Christ's  love  and  mercy.  I  would  go  to  God  that  you 
w^ould  escape  to  the  gate  at  once,  for  it  is  open.  It 
will  be  shut — it  will  be  shut  one  day,  but  it  is  open 
now.     When  night  comes,  the  night  of  death,  the  gate 


40  Types  and  Eniblems. 

will  be  slmt,  and  you  will  come  then  and  say,  "  Lord, 
Lord,  open  to  us  ! "     But,  the  answer  will  be — 

"  Too  late,  too  late  ! 
Ye  cannot  enter  now." 

But  it  is  not  too  late  yet.  Still  Christ  saith,  "  Behold, 
I  set  before  thee  an  open  door,  and  no  man  can  shut 
it."  Oh  !  that  thou  hadst  the  will  to  come  and  put  thy 
trust  in  Jesus  ;  for  if  thou  dost  so,  thou  shalt  be  saved. 
I  cannot  speak  to  some  of  you  about  security,  for  there 
are  no  broad  walls  to  defend  you.  You  have  run  away 
from  the  security.  Perhaps  you  have  been  patching 
up  with  some  untempered  mortar  a  righteousness  of 
your  own,  which  will  all  be  thrown  down  as  a  bowing 
wall  and  as  a  tottering  fence.  Oh  !  that  you  would 
trust  in  Jesus!  Then  would  you  have  a  broad  wall 
which  all  the  battering-rams  of  hell  shall  never  be  able 
to  shake.  When  the  storms  of  eternity  shall  beat 
against  that  wall,  it  shall  stand  fast  for  aye. 

I  cannot  speak  to  some  of  you  about  rest,  and  en- 
joyment, and  communion,  for  you  have  sought  rest 
where  there  is  none ;  you  have  got  a  peace  which  is 
no  peace,  you  have  found  a  comfort  which  will  be 
your  destruction.  God  make  you  to  be  distressed,  and 
constrain  you  by  sore  stress  to  flee  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  get  true  peace,  the  only  peace,  for  "  he  is  our 
peace." 

Oh  !  that  you  would  close  in  with  Christ  and  trust 
him,  then  you  would  rejoice  in  the  present  happiness 
which  faith  would  give  you ;  but,  the  sweetest  thing 
of  all  would  be  the  prospect  which  should  then  unfold 
to  you  of  the  eternal  happiness  which  Christ  has  pre- 
pared for  all  those  who  put  their  trust  in  him. 


%\t  #nI|T  goflr. 


'  I  am  the  door :  by  me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved, 
and  shall  go  in  and  out,  and  find  pasture." — John  x.  9. 

HE  Word  of  God  tells  iis  that  in  the  midst  of 
the  great  mass  of  men  there  are  to  be  found  a 
special  people — a  people  who  were  chosen  of 
■{^  God  out  of  the  common  race  before  the  stars 
began  to  shine ;  a  people  who  were  dear  to 
God's  heart  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  ;  a  peo- 
ple who  were  redeemed  by  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus 
beyond  and  above  the  rest  of  mankind  ;  a  people  who 
are  the  especial  property  of  Christ,  the  flock  of  his 
pasture,  the  sheep  of  his  hand ;  a  people  over  whom 
Providence  watches,  shaping  their  course  amid  the  tan- 
gled maze  of  life ;  a  people  who  are  to  be  produced  at 
the  last,  every  one  of  them  faultless  before  the  eternal 
throne,  and  fitted  for  the  exalted  destiny  which,  in  the 
ages  to  come,  he  shall  reveal.  All  through  Scripture 
3^ou  read  about  this  particular  and  special  people. 
Sometimes  they  are  called  a  "seed,"  at  other  times  "a 
garden,"  at  other  times  "  a  treasure,"  and  sometimes,  as 
in  the  chapter  we- have  read,  "a  flock."  The  common 
name  in  the  Kew  Testament  for  them  is  "  the  church," 


42  Types  and  Emhlems. 

"the  church  of  God  which  he  hath  purchased  with  his 
own  blood."  "  Christ  loved  the  church,  and  gave  him- 
self for  it;  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with 
the  washing  of  water  b}^  the  word." 

Xow,  the  grand  question  is,  how  to  obtain  admis- 
sion into  this  church  %  Where  is  this  communit}^  to 
be  found  %  Who  are  the  members  of  it  ?  What  is  the 
way  to  become  a  partaker  of  the  privileges  which  belong 
to  it  ?  Jesus  Christ  here  tells  us  two  things :  First, 
How  to  enter  the  cliurcli.  The  way  is  through  himself, 
as  the  door.  Secondly,  What  are  the  henefits  we  shall 
receive  through  heing  members  of  Chrisfs  church — we 
shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  out  and  find  pasture. 

I.  How  A  MAN  CAN  BECOME  A  MEMBER  OF  THAT 
CHURCH  WHICH  IS  ELECTED,  REDEEMED,  AND  WILL  BE 
SAVED  IS  SIMPLY,  BRIEFLY  SOLVED  BY  OUR  LORD's  FIRST 
ASSERTION. 

Christ  tells  us  that  the  only  icay  to  enter  the  Church  is 
through  himself.  He  is  the  door,  the  only  door.  There 
is  no  other  mode  of  admission  into  his  church  but 
through  himself.  Let  it  be  understood,  then,  once  for 
all,  that  we  cannot  get  into  the  church  of  Christ  through 
hajytisin.  There  are  tens  of  thousands  ;  ay,  there  have 
been  millions,  who  have  been  baptized  after  a  fashion ; 
that  is  to  say,  they  have  been  sprinkled,  and  thousands 
have  been  immersed,  who  never  were  admitted  into  the 
church  of  Christ.  In  consideration  of  the  ordinance 
as  it  was  administered  to  them,  with  or  more  commonly 
without  their  consent,  they  wxre  recognized  by  some 
persons  as  being  Christians ;  but  let  me  tell  you  that 
unless  they  came  to  Christ  by  true  faith,  they  are 
nothing  better  than  baptized  Pagans ;  they  are  sprin- 


The  Only  Door.  43 

kled  heathens  still.  Why,  you  might  hold  a  man  in  an 
everlasting  shower,  but  you  could  not  make  him  "  a 
member  of  Christ"  theseby  ;  or  you  might  drag  him 
through  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  if  he  survived  the 
immersion,  yet  still  he  would  not  be  one  jot  the  better. 
The  door  is  not  baptism  but  Christ.  If  thou  believest 
in  Christ  thou  art  a  member  of  his  church.  If  thy 
trust  is  stayed  upon  Christ,  who  is  God's  great  way  of 
salvation,  thou  hast  evidence  that  thou  wast  chosen  of 
him  from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  ;  and  that 
faith  of  thine  entitles  thee  to  all  the  privileges  which 
Christ  has  promised  in  his  Word  to  believers. 

If  Christ  be  the  door,  then  it  follows  that  men  do 
not  get  into  the  church  by  hirthright.  The  Society  of 
Friends  has  been  one  of  the  most  useful  communities 
in  the  world,  and  it  has  maintained  a  good  testimony 
upon  most  important  points  for  many  years;  but  it 
seems  to  me  that  the  great  evil  in  it,  that  which  has 
done  them  the  most  mischief,  is  the  admission  of  birth- 
right membership.  Do  they  not  receive  into  their 
fellowship  the  children  of  their  members  as  though 
they  were  necessarily  proper  persons  to  be  received 
into  the  visible  church?  My  brethren,  it  is  a  great 
privilege  to  have  Christian  parents ;  it  may  prove  a 
very  great  advantage,  if  you  use  it  rightly ;  but  it 
involves  a  great  responsibilit}^,  and  if  you  use  it  wrongly, 
instead  of  being  a  blessing  to  you,  it  may  be  a  fearful 
curse.  Though  3^ou  may  be  one  of  a  long  line  of  saints, 
*'  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  king- 
dom of  God."  The  most  pious  example,  the  most 
godly  training,  cannot  ensure  conversion,  and  without 
conversion,  depend  upon   it,  you    cannot   be  Christ's. 


44  Types  and  Emhlems. 

"  Except  3'e  be  converted  and  become  as  little  children, 
ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Through  our  not  practising  infant  baptism,  we  do  not 
so  readily  fall  into  this  error  as  some  denominations ; 
still  it  is  necessary  to  say  even  here  that  yon  have  no 
right  to  gospel  privileges  because  of  your  mothers  and 
fathers.  You  must  be  born  again  yourselves.  You 
have  no  right  to  the  covenant  of  grace,  nor  to  the  bless- 
ings and  promises  thereof,  except  as  by  your  own  per- 
sonal and  individual  faith  you  come  to  Oiirist.  It  is 
not  your  father  nor  your  mother  that  can  be  the  door 
into  Christ's  church  for  you,  but  Christ  himself.  "  I," 
saith  he,  "  I  am  the  door."  If  you  get  Christ,  you  are 
in  his  church.  If  you  have  laid  hold  on  him,  3'ou  are 
a  member  of  that  secret  and  invisible  community  of 
his  elect  and  his  redeemed  ;  but  it  is  not  by  baptism, 
nor  yet  by  birthright,  that  you  can  ever  be  so. 

Moreover,  as  Christ  is  the  door,  it  is  evident  that  a 
moM  does  not  come  to  he  a  meinber  of  the  eh  urch  of  Christ 
hy  rnaling  a  j^^'ofession  of  being  so.  He  may  prove 
liimself  to  be  a  detestable  hypocrite,  but  he  cannot 
prove  himself  to  be  a  genuine  Christian,  b}"  mere  pro- 
fession. Men  do  not  get  rich  in  this  world  by  a  lavish 
expenditure,  or  by  a  profession  of  being  wealthy.  They 
must  hold  the  title-deeds  of  their  estate,  and  have  the 
cash  in  the  strong  box,  or  else  they  are  poor,  in  spite  of 
all  their  pretensions.  And  you  cannot  become  a  Chris- 
tian, by  coming  forward  and  asking  to  be  admitted  into 
the  church,  declaring  that  you  believe,  and  avowing 
that  3'ou  repent.  No,  verily,  but  you  must  repent  truly, 
or  3^ou  shall  perish  ;  you  must  believe  truly,  or  you 
shall  have  no  part  nor  lot  in  this  matter.     The  mere 


The  Only  Door.  45 

saying  "  Yes,  yes,  I  am  willing  to  profess  this,  I  am 
willing  to  sa}'  that "  no  more  makes  a'ou  a  Christian 
than  it  would  make  cotton  to  be  silk  to  call  it  so,  or 
make  mud  to  be  gold  by  labelling  it  with  that  title. 
Beware  of  a  false  profession,  for  it  is  doubly  hazardous. 
The  man  who  has  no  grace  is  in  danger,  but  the  man, 
who  makes  a  profession  of  having  it  when  he  has  not, 
is  in  double  danger,  for  he  is  the  least  likely  to  be 
awakened,  and  he  is  certain,  unless  sovereign  grace  pre- 
vent, to  make  his  profession  a  pillow  for  his  wicked  and 
his  slumbering  head,  till  he  sleeps  liimself  into  hell.  • 

Further,  and  this  may  touch  the  point,  perhaps, 
more  closely  still,  a  man  does  not  get  to  be  one  of  the 
Lord's  people,  or  to  be  one  of  Christ's  sheep,  by  being 
admitted  into  any  visible  church.  He  ought  not  to  try 
to  get  into  any  visible  church  until  he  is  in  the  true 
church.  He  has  no  right  to  join  the  external  organiza- 
tion, until  he  has  first  got  into  the  secret  conclave  b^'a 
living  faith  in  Christ.  If  he  leaves  the  door  alone  and 
gets  over  the  wall,  and  comes  into  the  outward  church 
without  being  a  believer  in  Christ,  so  far  from  being 
saved,  Christ  will  say  to  him,  "  Thou  art  a  thief  and  a 
robber,  for  thou  has  climbed  up  some  other  way,  and 
thou  camest  not  in  by  the  door."  I  believe  we  do  rightly 
to  subject  the  admission  of  members  to  the  voice  of  all 
the  church  ;  I  believe  we  do  rightly  to  examine  candi- 
dates to  see  whether  they  make  a  creditable  profession, 
and  whether  they  know  what  they  are  at.  But  our 
examination — oh,  'tis  nothing  better  than  skin  deep. 
We  cannot  search  the  heart,  and  the  best  judgment 
of  never  so  many  Christian  men,  though  honest,  and 
deserving  to  be  treated  with  a  great  respect,  would  be  a 


46  Types  and  Emblems. 

very  poor  thing  to  rest  upon.  If  you  have  not  Christ, 
your  church  certificates  are  waste  paper,  and  your 
membership  with  any  people,  however  pure  and  apos- 
tolic they  may  be,  is  but  a  name  to  live  while  you  are 
dead,  for  the  only  way,  the  sole  way,  of  getting  into  the 
real,  vital,  living  church  of  Christ,  is  by  coming  to 
Christ,  who  is  himself  the  door. 

The  plain  English  of  this  metaphor,  then,  is  just  this 
— To  he  one  of  God'S  people^  the  essential  thing  is  a 
simple  dependence  upon  Jesus  Christ.  Jf  you  have  not 
this — no  matter  who  baptizes  you,  or  who  gives  yon 
the  consecrated  bread  and  wine,  or  w4io  maudles  to 
you  about  a  hope  of  salvation  for  which  there  is  no 
warrant — you  will  die  in  your  sins,  notwithstanding 
all  your  sacraments,  except  you  come  to  Christ.  No 
other  admittance  to  heaven  can  there  be,  but  by  a 
simple  dependence  upon  him  who  has  bled  and  died 
on  Calvary's  cross  ;  the  preaching  of  any  other  system 
is  a  mere  delusion,  aorainst  which  the  warnino^  voice 
went  forth  or  ever  the  snare  was  laid  to  trap  the  unwary. 

Mark  you,  simple  faith,  where  it  is  genuine,  makes 
it  plain  that  you  do  enter  by  Christ  the  door,  because 
Qwch.  faith  leads  to  obedience.  How  canst  thou  suppose 
that  thou  art  a  member  of  his  church  if  thou  art  not 
obedient  to  Christ  ?  It  is  necessary  that  the  man  who 
trusts  Christ  should  become  the  servant  of  Christ. 
Real  faith  never  kicks  at  this,  but  rather  delights  in 
it.  "  If  ye  love  me,"  saith  Christ,  "  keep  my  command- 
ments." Except  we  do  keep  Christ's  commandments 
out  of  a  principle  of  love  to  him,  our  religion  is  vain. 
"  Without  holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord."  We 
may  talk  as  we  will  about  inward  experiences  and 


The  Only  Door.  47 

believings,  but  "  by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 
The  Spirit  of  God  is  the  spirit  of  holiness.  When 
Christ  comes  into  the  soul,  all  iniquity  must  be  purged 
out  of  the  soul.  You  know  how  Malaclii  describes 
his  advent.  He  proclaims  to  us  the  promise  that  the 
Lord  whom  we  seek  shall  suddenly  come  to  his  temple : 
that  is,  seekers  shall  be  finders ;  do  you  know  what  he 
adds  ?  ''  But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  his  coming? 
for  he  shall  be  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and  like  fullers' 
soap."  Now,  the  refiner's  fire  burns  up  the  dross,  and 
fullers'  soap  takes  out  the  stains ;  and  so,  if  Christ  be 
in  you,  you  will  pass  through  a  refining  that  will  burn 
up  your  outward  sin,  and  you  will  be  subjected  to  a 
w^ashing  like  that  of  the  fullers'  soap,  which  will  cleanse 
you  from  all  your  iniquities.  "  Be  not  deceived,  God 
is  not  mocked,  whatsoever  a  man  soweth  that  shall  he 
also  reap."  If  ye  live  after  the  flesh  ye  shall  die,  but 
if,  through  the  grace  of  Christ  ye  are  living  in  him, 
trusting  in  him,  and  serving  him — service  being  the 
evidence  of  trust,  and  trust  being  the  evidence  of  your 
election — ye  have  then  come  into  the  church  through 
the  door,  and  it  is  well  with  you. 

Now,  if  it  be  so,  that  Christ  is  the  door  into  the 
church,  and  if  we  have  entered  the  church  through 
that  door,  it  does  not  signify  much  to  us  what  the  old 
gentleman  at  Rome  thinks  of  us.  He  may  excom- 
municate us.  This  he  is  very  fond  of  doing.  He  is 
a  rare  hand  at  cursing.  What  does  it  matter?  It 
signifies  not  one  jot,  if  I  be  in  Christ  Jesus  a  new 
creature,  how  much  the  Pope  may  rail  at  me.  Be- 
sides, there  are  plenty  of  revilers  now-a-days  who  are 
saying,  "  You  Nonconformists  are  only  a  pack  of  here- 


48  Types  and  Emblems, 

tics ;  we  have  the  apostolical  succession  ;  we  have  the  sa- 
craments and  the  priests."  Ah  !  thej  vaunt  themselves 
as  being  "  Catholic,"  though  their  claim  is  disallowed 
alike  by  the  Babylon  which  is  here  below,  and  by  the 
Jerusalem  which  is  above.  Let  them  vaunt  it'  they 
will.  As  long  a^  we  have  Christ,  they  may  keep  their 
apostolical  succession,  and  all  their  other  rubbish ;  he 
is  the  door,  and  if  we  have  come  through  him  it  is  well 
enough.  I  like  that  story  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders 
who  had  been  converted  through  some  of  our  mission- 
aries, and  the  Gospel  had  been  preached  to  them  for 
years.  At  last,  two  or  three  gentlemen  in  long  black 
gowms  landed  there,  and  the  people  asked  them  what 
they  had  come  for.  They  said  they  were  come  to  in- 
struct them  in  the  true  faith,  and  to  teach  them.  Well, 
they  said,  they  should  be  glad  to  hear  it.  If  their 
teaching  was  true,  and  like  the  Scriptures,  they  would 
listen  to  them.  By  and  by,  a  little  diagram  was  exhib- 
ited to  the  natives  after  the  similitude  of  a  tree.  This 
tree  had  many  branches.  The  twigs  w^hich  were  far- 
thest off  were  the  different  saints,  the  believers,  those 
who  do  good  works;  then  the  limbs,  which  were  a 
little  larger,  were  the  priests ;  the  bigger  boughs  were 
bishops;  the  biggest  boughs  were  the  cardinals;  and, 
at  last,  these  all  joined  on  to  the  trunk,  which  was  the 
Pope,  and  that  went  all  the  way  down  to  the  bottom, 
till  it  came  to  Peter,  who  was  the  root,  deriving  his 
authority  immediately  from  Christ.  So  the  natives 
asked  about  all  these  twigs,  and  branches,  and  specially 
about  certain  rotten  branches  that  were  tumbling  off 
into  a  fire.  What  were  they  ?  They  were  Luther, 
and  Calvin,  and  other  heretics  who  had  been  cut  off 


The  Only  Door.  49 

from  the  tnie  tree  of  the  church.  "Well,"  said  one 
of  the  islanders,  ''  and  pray  what  is  the  root  of  the 
tree  ?  "  Of  course,  that  was  allowed  to  be  Jesus  Christ. 
So  they  clapped  their  hands  at  once  for  joy,  and  said, 
"  Never  mind  about  the  branches,  and  stems,  and  twigs ; 
we  have  never  heard  of  them,  but  we  have  got  the  root, 
and  that  will  do  to  grow  on."  In  like  manner,  brethren, 
we  can  say  to-night,  if  we  have  got  Christ,  we  have 
got  "  the  root  out  of  the  dry  ground."  We  have  got  the 
root  of  the  matter,  the  basis,  the  sum,  the  substance  of  it. 

"Let  others  trust  what  forms  they  please. 
Their  hopes  we'll  not  contest." 

Let  them  go  about  their  business,  and  rejoice  in  their 
fancies ;  but  Christ  is  the  door.  We  have  Christ,  we 
have  entered  by  the  door,  we  have  believed  in  him,  we 
have  entered  through  him  into  faith,  and  into  joy,  and 
into  peace.  We  will  be  content  with  this  ;  let  others 
clamber  up  some  other  way  if  they  please. 

Before  I  leave  this  point,  a  question  suggests  itself, 
^Have  we  all  entered  hij  the  door  ?  We  are  agreed 
that  Christ  is  the  door.  Have  we  entered  by  the 
door  %  You  who  are  growing  old— I  always  feel  much 
pleasure  in  seeing  grey  heads,  the  type  of  mellowed 
years,  in  the  concourse  of  W'Orshippers  ; — but  have 
you  all  believed  in  Jesus  %  You  know  the  truth,  you 
would  not  like  to  hear  anything  but  the  simple  Gos- 
pel preached  ;  but,  have  you  laid  hold  on  the  Gospel  ? 
A  man  may  starve  with  bread  upon  the  table  if  he 
does  not  oat,  and  he  may  perish  with  thirst,  though  he 
be  up  to  his  neck  in  water,  if  he  does  not  drink.  Have 
you  trusted  Christ  ?  If  not,  how  can  you  remain  in  a 
state  of  unbelief,  for ''  he  that  believeth  not  is  condemned 
3 


50  Types  and  Einhlevns, 

already,  because  he  believeth  not  on  the  Son  of  God." 
Men  and  women  in  middle  life,  struggling  with  the 
cares  of  business,  have  you  entered  into  Christ  ?  I  know 
3'our  thoughts  are  much  taken  up,  and  necessarily  so, 
with  the  world  ;  but,  have  you  not  time  to  think  upon 
this  question,  or  dare  you  neglect  it ;  "  Dost  thou 
believe  on  the  Son  of  God  ?  "  If  not,  O  man,  thy  life 
hangs  on  a  thread,  and  that  snapped,  thy  ruin  is  cer- 
tain. And,  oh,  you  young  people,  what  a  mercy  it  is 
to  see  you  willing  to  come  and  hear  the  "Word  !  But, 
have  you  all  heard  it  with  your  inward  ears  ?  Have  you 
looked  to  my  Master  ?  Oh,  it  is  sweet  to  come  to 
Christ  in  the  early  morning  of  life,  to  have  a  long  day 
of  happiness  before  you  !  May  it  be  the  blessedness 
of  each  one  of  us  !  It  is  vain  to  look  at  the  door  unless 
you  enter.  God  give  you  grace  to  come  in,  if  you 
never  have  entered  before. 

II.  Our   Lord  and  Master  tells  us  tv^hat  are  the 

PRIVILEGES  OF  ENTERING   THROUGH  HIM,  THE   DOOR. 

The  man  who  enters  by  Christ  shall  he  saved,  he  shall 
go  in  and  out  and  he  shall  find  pasture. 

lie  shall  he  saved.  The  man  who  believes  in  Jesus 
Christ  shall  be  saved  ;  he  is  saved,  and  he  shall  be 
saved.  A  man  has  by  accident  killed  his  fellow-man. 
The  next  of  kin  to  the  murdered  man  will  be  sure  to 
kill  the  man-slayer  out  of  revenge,  if  he  can  get  at 
him.  Therefore  the  poor  homicide  takes  flight  as 
quickly  as  he  can  towards  the  city  of  refuge.  How 
his  heart  beats,  how  his  footsteps  bound,  how  he  flies 
with  all  his  might.  There  is  a  handpost  with  the  word 
"  Refuge  "  upon  it,  and  on  he  continues  his  way.  But, 
presently,  while  he  is  running,  he  turns  his  head,  and 


The  Only  Door,  51 

finds  that  the  avenger  of  blood  is  after  him.  He  sees 
that  he  is  gaining  upon  him,  he  feels  that  he  will  pro- 
bably overtake  him.  Oh  !  how  he  picks  his  steps  lest  ho 
should  trip  against  a  stone,  how  he  skims  the  ground, 
swift  as  a  doe.  He  runs  until  he  can  see  the  city  gates. 
"  That  is  the  fair  city  of  refuge,"  saith  he.  But,  he  does 
not  rest  then,  for  a  sight  of  the  city  wnll  not  secure  him, 
80  he  quickens  his  speed,  as  if  he  would  outstrip  the 
wind,  till  he  shoots  through  the  archway,  and  he  is  in  the 
broad  street  of  the  city.  Now  he  stops.  Now  he 
breathes.  Now^  he  wipes  the  hot  sweat  from  his  brow. 
"  Now  I  am  safe,''  saith  he,  "  for  no  avenger  of  blood 
dares  cross  that  threshold  ;  he  that  once  escapes  here  is 
delivered."  So  with  the  sinner  w^hen  sin  pursues  him, 
when  he  discovers  that  he  has  oifended  God.  He  hears 
the  furious  coursers  of  divine  vengeance  coming  on 
swiftly  behind  him,  and  his  conscience  flies,  and  his  soul 
speeds  towards  the  cross.  He  gets  a  little  hope.  He 
hears  of  a  Saviour  ;  but  that  is  not  enough.  He  will 
never  rest,  he  w411  never  say  he  is  at  peace,  until  he 
has  passed  the  gate  of  faith,  and  can  say,  "  Now  I  do 
believe  that  Jesus  died  for  me." 

He  that  enters  in  by  the  door  shall  be  saved. 
Noah's  ark  was  built  in  the  olden  times  to  preserve 
Noah  and  his  family  from  the  great  flood.  It  could 
not  be  said  that  Noah  would  be  saved  till  he  had  passed 
through  the  door ;  but  w^hen  he  had  done  that,  a 
divine  hand,  quite  unseen,  put  the  door  to,  and  as 
Noah  heard  it  fastened,  and  understood  that  the  Lord 
had  shut  him  in,  he  felt  quite  safe.  If  God  shuts  us  in, 
the  floods  from  beneath  cannot  drown  us,  and  the  rains 
from  above  cannot  penetrate  to  injure  us.     He  must 


62  Types  and  Emhlems. 

be  safe  whom  God  sliuts  in.  The  moment  that  a  poor 
sinner  trusts  in  Christ.  God  sliiits  the  door.  Tliere  he 
is,  and  there  he  sliall  be,  till  time  shall  be  no  more. 
He  is  secure.  The  infernal  powers  shall  not  destroy 
him,  and  the  vengeance  of  God  cannot  touch  him. 
lie  has  passed  the  door,  and  he  shall  be  saved. 

I  read  a  story  the  other  day  of  some  Russians  crossing 
wide  plains  studded  over  here  and  there  with  forests. 
The  villages  were  ten  or  a  dozen  miles  from  each  other, 
the  wolves  were  out,  the  horses  were  rushing  forward 
madly,  the  travellers  could  hear  the  baying  of  the  wolves 
behind  them  ;  and,  though  the  horses  tore  along  with 
all  speed,  yet  the  wolves  were  fast  behind,  and  they 
only  escaped,  as  we  say,  *'  by  the  skin  of  their  teeth," 
managing  just  to  get  inside  some  hut  that  stood  in  the 
road,  and  to  shut-to  the  door.  Then  they  could  hear 
the  wolves  leap  on  the  roof;  they  could  hear  them 
dash  against  the  sides  of  the  hut ;  they  could  hear  them 
gnawing  at  the  door,  and  howling,  and  making  all  sorts 
of  dismal  noises ;  but  the  travellers  were  safe,  because 
they  had  entered  in  by  the  door,  and  the  door  was  shut. 
Now,  when  a  man  is  in  Christ,  he  can  hear,  as  it 
were,  the  devils  howling  like  wolves,  all  fierce  and 
hungry  for  him;  and  his  own  sins,  like  wolves,  are 
seeking  to  drag  him  down  to  destruction.  But  he  has 
got  in  to  Christ,  and  that  is  such  a  shelter  that  all  the 
devils  in  the  world,  if  they  were  to  come  at  once,  could 
not  start  a  single  beam  of  that  eternal  refuge  :  it  must 
stand  fast,  though  the  earth  and  heaven  should  pass 
away.  Xow,  to  every  man  and  woman  Christ  says  that 
if  they  have  entered  in  by  the  door,  they  shall  be  saved. 
Do  not  have  any  doubt  about  it.     Do  not  let  anybody 


The  Only  Door.  53 

raise  the  question  Avhetlier  you  may  be,  or  yon  may 
not  be ;  yon  shall  be.  Oh,  clutch  at  that  blessed 
"  shall/'  Sir,  if  yon  have  been  a  drunkard,  yet,  if 
yon  trust  in  Christ,  you  shall  be  saved.  Yon  shall 
not  go  back  to  your  old  drunkenness,  but  yon  shall 
be  saved  from  it,  if  you  believe  in  him.  O  woman, 
if  tlion  hast  stained  thy  character  to  the  worst,  yet,  if 
thon  believest  in  Christ,  none  of  thy  old  sins  shall 
ruin  thee,  but  thon  shalt  be  saved.  Ah!  though 
yon  be  tempted  every  day  of  your  lives,  tempted 
as  none  ever  were  before,  yet  God  is  true,  and  cannot 
lie— if  yon  come  through  Christ  the  door  you  shall  be 
saved.  Do  you  understand  what  it  is  to  come  through 
the  door  ?  it  is  to  depend  upon  Jesns,  to  give  ourselves 
to  him,  to  rest  on  him.  AVhen  yon  hang  up  your  jugs 
and  mugs  on  the  nail  in  the  cupboard,  what  keeps  them 
from  falling  ?  Nothing  but  the  nail,  and  if  that  holds 
well,  nothing  can  fall  that  Jiangs  on  it.  Now,  yon 
must  trust  in  Christ  as  the  vessel  hangs  on  the  nail, 
and  if  you  do  so,  he  is  fastened  as  a  nail  in  a  sure 
place,  and  yon  cannot  and  shall  not  perish.  That  is 
the  first  privilege— he  shall  be  saved. 

He  that  entereth  in  by  the  door  shall  go  in.  The 
man  who  believes  in  Christ  shall  go  into  rest  and 
peace,  for  there  is  no  condemnation  to  them  that 
are  in  Christ  Jesus.  He  shall  go  in  to  secret  know- 
ledge. He  shall  become  a  scholar,  and  shall  be 
taught  by  Christ  as  his  rabbi.  He  shall  go  in  nnto 
God  with  holy  boldness  in  prayer.  He  shall  go  in  unto 
that  which  is  within  the  veil,  and  speak  to  God  from 
before  the  mercy-seat.  He  shall  go  in  nnto  the  child's 
place,  and  shall  stand  as  an  adopted  heir  of  heaven, 


64  Types  and  Emblems, 

He  shall  go  in  nnto  close  communion  with  God.  He 
shall  speak  with  his  Maker.  The  Lord  shall  lift  np 
the  light  of  his  countenance  upon  him.  He  shall  go  in 
unto  the  highest  attainment  in  spiritual  things.  He 
shall  go  in  to  the  treasure-house  of  the  covenant,  and 
^ay — "  All  this  is  mine."  He  shall  go  in  to  the  store- 
house of  the  promises,  and  take  whatsoever  his  soul 
needeth.  He  shall  go  in,  passing  from  circle  to  circle, 
till  he  comes  in  to  the  innermost  place  where  the  love 
of  God  is  most  graciously  spread  abroad. 

He  that  enters  in  by  the  door  shall  be  saved,  and 
he  shall  go  in.  If  you  know  what  this  means — go  in  ; 
goin  farther;  go  in  more  constantly.  Do  not  stop 
where  you  are,  but  go  in  till  you  have  got  a  little 
more.  If  you  love  Christ,  come  nearer  to  him,  and 
nearer,  and  nearer  still.     Let  your  prayer  be — 

"  Nearer,  my  God,  to  tliee, 

Nearer  to  tliee ; 
E'en  though  it  be  a  cross  that  raiseth  me. 

Still  this  my  cry  shall  be, 
Nearer  to  thee  ;  nearer  to  thee." 

But  if  you  want  to  get  into  anything  that  is  divine,  you 
must  get  in  through  Christ.  O  you  who  open  yonr 
bibles,  and  want  to  understand  a  text,  the  way  to  get 
into  the  meaning  of  a  text  is  through  the  door,  Christ. 
O  you  who  want  to  get  more  holiness,  come  through 
the  door ;  the  way  to  holiness  is  not  through  Moses, 
but  through  Christ.  O  you  who  would  have  closer 
communion  with  your  heavenly  Father,  the  way  to  come 
|in  is  not  through  your  own  efforts,  but  through  Christ. 
You  came  to  Christ  at  first  to  get  salvation  ;  you  must 
fcome  to  Christ  still  to  get  sanctification.  Never  look 
for  another  door,  for  there  is  but  one,  and  that  one  door 


The  Only  Door.  65 

will  let  you  into  life,  love,  peace,  knowledge,  and  sanc- 
tification.  It  will  let  you  into  heaven.  Christ  is  the 
master-key  of  all  the  rooms  in  the  palace  of  mercy,  and 
if  you  get  Christ  you  shall  go  in.  Nothing  shall  keep 
you  out  of  any  of  the  secret  chambers.  You  shall  go 
in,  in  God's  name,  through  Christ,  the  door. 

The  next  privilege  is  that  he  shall  go  out.  Putting 
the  two  together — he  shall  go  in  and  out — they  sig- 
nify liberty.  The  Christian  does  not  come  into  the 
Church,  as  into  a  prison,  but  he  comes  in  as  a  free  man, 
walking  in  and  out  of  his  own  house.  But,  what  does 
it  mean  to  go  out  ?  I  think  it  means  this,  brethren. 
The  men  that  trust  in  Christ  go  out  to  their  daily  busi- 
ness through  Christ,  the  door.  I  wonder  how  many  of 
you  ever  thought  of  this  ?  You  know  sometimes  you 
get  up,  put  on  your  things,  and  go  blundering  out  to 
work,  and  then  you  find  yourselves  very  weak  all  day. 
Well,  I  do  not  wonder  at  it,  for  you  do  not  go  out 
through  Christ,  the  door.  Oh,  suppose  you  had  given 
yourselves  to  Christ  for  the  day,  and  though  you  had 
time  but  for  a  few  minutes'  praj^er,  yet  you  had  put  it 
thus — '*  Lord,  I  am  thine ;  take  care  of  me  to-day  ;  I 
am  going  out  where  there  will  be  many  to  tempt  me  and 
tr}^  me.  I  do  not  know  what  may  happen,  but.  Lord,  I 
am  going  out  in  thy  name,  and  resting  in  thy  strength  ; 
if  there  is  anything  that  I  can  do  for  thee,  I  desire  to 
doit.  If  there  is  anything  to  suffer,  I  wish  to  suffer  it 
for  thy  sake,  but  take  care  of  me,  Lord.  I  will  not  go 
out  and  face  my  fellow-men  until  I  have  seen  thy  face, 
and  I  do  not  want  to  speak  to  them  until  I  have  spoken 
to  thee,  nor  to  hear  what  they  have  to  say  till  I  have 
heard  what  God  the  Lord  will  speak.''     Depend  upon 


66  Types  and  Eviblems. 

it,  it  is  blessed  going  out,  when  you  go  through  the 
door.  You  will  be  sure  to  come  home  happy,  when 
you  go  out  after  this  sort. 

May  not  this  going  out  also  mean  to  go  out  to  suffer- 
ing? You  and  I  are  called  sometimes  to  bear  great 
bodily  pain,  or  losses,  or  bereavements.  Well,  now, 
what  a  sweet  thing  it  is  to  go  out  to  sutler  these  things 
through  the  door,  and  to  be  able  to  say,  "Now,  my 
Master,  this  is  a  cross,  but  I  will  carry  it,  not  in  my 
own  strength,  but  in  thine.  Do  what  thou  wilt  with 
me;  I  shall  drink  the  cup  because  thou  appointest  it. 
Whenever  you  can  see  Christ's  hand  in  it,  it  makes 
the  bitter  sweet,  and  heavy  things  soon  grow  light. 
Go  to  your  sick-bed  as  you  hope  to  go  to  your  dying 
bed,  through  the  door,  that  is,  through  Christ. 

And  when,  as  sometimes  happens,  we  have  to  go  out, 
as  it  were,  away  from  fellowship  with  Christ,  to  light 
with  our  inward  sins,  the  right  way  is  to  go  out  to 
resist  them  through  the  door.  If  \ow  ever  try  to  fight 
with  sin  in  your  own  strength,  or  on  a  legal  footing, 
or  because  you  feel  that  you  will  be  condemned  if 
you  do  not  overcome  those  sins,  you  will  be  as  weak 
as  water.  The  manner  of  victory  is  through  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb.  There  is  no  killing  sin,  except  by 
throwing  the  blood  of  Christ  upon  it.  When  once 
the  blood  of  Christ  comes  into  contact  with  the  beset- 
ting sin,  that  sin  withers  straight  away.  Go  to  your 
spiritual  conflicts  througli  the  door. 

And  so,  beloved,  we  ought  in  all  that  we  do  for  the 
Lord,  to  go  out  through  the  door.  It  is  always  sweet 
preaching  for  me  when  I  feel  that  I  come  forth  in  the 
name  of  my  Master,  when  I  do  not  come  to  tell  you 


The  Only  Door.  57 

what  ideas  I  have  woven  out  of  idj  own  brains,  nor  to 
put  attractive  figures  before  you,  as  I  would  like  to  do 
sometimes;  but,  rather,  when  I  come  Jo  tell  you  just 
what  my  Lord  would  have  you  know,  telling  it  as  a 
message  to  you  from  your  God,  and  cherishing  in  my 
own  heart  his  great  love  towards  perishing  sinners.  > 
Then,  indeed,  to  minister  is  joy.  You  Sunday  school' 
teachers  will  always  teach  well,  when  you  go  down  to 
the  school-room  through  the  door — that  is,  having 
been  with  Christ,  having  sought  and  enjoyed  his 
company.  I  knovr,  my  dear  brethren  and  sisters,  you 
who  are  teaching  larger  classes,  you  who  are  engaged 
in  instructing  or  exhorting,  you  who  go  about  any 
holy  work,  you  always  do  it  well,  when  you  have 
God's  smile  upon  you  in  the  doing  of  it ;  and  you  shall 
have  great  success  in  the  doing  of  it,  if  you  always  go 
to  it  through  Christ,  the  door;  if  you  serve  Christ 
through  Christ,  and  do  it,  not  only  for  him,  but  through 
him  and  by  him.  Our  own  strength  is  perfect  weak- 
ness, but  the  strength  which  comes  through  simple 
dependence  upon  the  ever  living  Christ,  who  has  said. 
"  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  tlie  end  of  the 
world," — this  is  the  strength  which  wins  the  conquest. 
God  give  you  grace  not  only  to  go  in,  but  also  to  go 
out  through  the  door. 

Well,  now,  the  last  privilege  named  in  the  text  is, 
''  And  shall  find  pasture.'''^  I, suppose  this  is  what  you 
come  here  for,  you  who  love  the  Lord,  you  come  here 
for  pasture.  It  is  a  great  blessing  if  when  we  come  to 
hear  the  gospel,  it  becomes  real  pasture  to  us.  "We 
do  know  some  who  say  that  the  troubles  of  the  week 
become   unbearable,  because  they   have   such  barren 


68  Types  and  Emhlems, 

sabbaths.  Ah,  if  jou  are  members  of  a  church  that  is 
rent  with  discord,  where  the  ministry  abounds  in  any- 
thing but  Christ,  you  will  soon  begin  to  cry  out,  and 
you  will  value  the  privilege  of  hearing  Jesus  Chri&t 
lifted  up  among  you.  Bat  who  are  the  people  who 
get  the  pasture  where  Jesus  Christ  is  preached  ? 
Not  all  who  hear  him,  nor  yet  all  believers ;  there 
are  times  when  you  may  hear  a  sermon  that  is  of 
no  use  to  you,  and  yet  your  brother  or  sister  by  your 
side  may  be  greatly  instructed  and  comforted  there 
by.  In  such  a  case,  I  should  not  wonder  if  it  was 
because  your  friend  came  in  to  the  service  through  the 
door,  and  you  did  not. 

Do  you  remember  the  story  of  Mr.  Erskine  and  the 
good  lady  who  went  to  hear  him  preach  at  the  com- 
munion? It  was  such  sweet  preaching,  she  thought 
she  had  never  heard  the  like.  So,  after  service,  she 
asked,  Who  the  gentleman  was  that  preached  to-day  ; 
and,  on  being  told  that  it  was  Mr.  Ebenezer  Erskine, 
she  said,  "•  I  will  come  and  hear  him  again  next  Sunday 
morning."  She  went,  she  listened,  and  she  thought  to 
herself, — "  Well,  this  is  very  drj^,  very  heavy  preach- 
ing." She  was  not  at  all  comforted  by  it;  then,  like 
a  foolish  woman,  as  I  should  think  she  must  have  been, 
she  went  into  the  vestry,  and  said,  "Oh,  l^fr.  Erskine, 
I  heard  you  last  Sabbath  with  much  pleasure,  sir;  I 
never  was  so  edified  ;  and,  I  came  again  this  morning, 
but  I  have  been  dreadfully  disappointed."  So  the 
good  man  said,  very  calmly,  "  Pray  madam,  when  3^ou 
came  to  the  kirk  last  Sunday,  what  did  you  come  for  ? " 
She  said,  "  I  came  to  communion,  sir."  "  To  have 
fellowship  with  Christ,  I  suppose  ?"  he  asked.     "Yes, 


The  Only  Door.  59 

sir."  "Well,  you  came  for  it,  and  you  had  it.  And 
pray,  what  did  you  come  here  this  morning  for?'' 
Said  she,  "  I  came  to  hear  you,  sir."  "And,  you  had 
it,  woman,"  said  he,  "  you  had  it,  and  you  had  not  any- 
thing else,  because  you  did  not  come  for  anything  more 
than  that."  "Well,  now,  when  people  come  merely  to 
hear  a  minister,  or  for  custom's  sake,  or  for  form's  sake, 
do  they  not  always  get  what  they  come  for  ?  If  peo- 
ple come  to  find  fault,  we  always  give  them  plenty  of 
our  imperfections  to  be  entertained  with,  so  they  need 
not  be  disappointed.  If  others  come  merely  out  of 
custom,  they  say,  "  Well  this  is  my  work,  I  have  per- 
formed my  duty."  Of  course  it  is,  but  if  you  had  come 
in  through  the  door — that  is,  looking  to  Christ,  looking 
for  Christ,  desiring  not  to  see  the  preacher  but  the  Lord, 
not  to  get  the  word  of  man  but  the  Word  of  God,  to 
your  soul — I  believe  you  would  have  found  pasture. 
Brethren,  the  sheep  want  pasture.  No  other  food  will 
suit  them.  So  your  soul  wants  heavenly  truth,  and  if 
you  come  to  the  house  of  God  through  Christ,  you  will 
get  it.  If  you  turn  to  the  Bible  through  Christ,  you 
will  find  it  a  rich  storehouse.  If  you  come  to  prayer 
through  the  door  of  Christ,  you  will  find  it  comforting, 
and  so  you  shall  find  pasture. 

I  think  the  text  may  mean,  that  he  who  rests  in 
Christ  shall  have  all  his  wants  supplied.  If  this  text 
does  not  mean  so,  another  does : — "  The  Lord  is  my 
shepherd,  I  shall  not  want;  he  maketh  me  to  lie  down 
in  green  pastures,  he  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters." 
Some  of  you  are  very  poor,  but  if  you  have  trusted  in 
Christ,  you  may  plead  this  promise — "  Thou  hast  said 
I  shall  find  pasture."     Come  to  Christ,  and  tell  him 


60 


Types  and  Emblems. 


that  he  himself  has  said  it — "No  good  thing  will  he 
withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprightly." 

I  would  to  God  that  some  who  have  never  3'et  entered 
into  the  fold  might  now  be  drawn  to  Jesus.  Oh,  that 
3'e  would  come  thi-ough  the  door  into  these  four  choice 
privileges.  You  may  never  have  such  another  oppor- 
tunity. You  may  never  feel  any  of  the  motions  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  again.  Oh  !  that  without  delay,  ye  would 
just  cast  your  helpless  souls  upon  the  Saviour's  gracious 
arms,  who  is  able  and  willing  to  save,  that  ye  might  be 
saved  now. 


'^ 


|iopI  ^mlikms  for  f  opl  ^ubjuts. 


"^And  he  shall  be  as  the  light  of  the  morning,  when  the  sun  ris- 
eth,  even  a  morning  without  clouds  ;  as  the  tender  grass  springing 
out  of  the  earth  by  clear  shining  after  rain." — 2  Samuel  xxiii.  4. 


ASTEEIST  despots  fleece  their  subjects  to  an 
enormous  extent.  Even  at  the  present  day 
one  would  hardly  wish  to  be  subjected  to  the 
^7  demands  of  an  Oriental  government ;  but  in 
David's  time  a  bad  king  was  a  continual  pes- 
tilence, plague,  and  famine — a  bane  to  the  lives  of  his 
subjects,  who  were  under  his  caprice ;  and  spoliation 
to  their  fields,  which  he  perpetually  swept  clean  to 
enrich  himself  Avith  the  produce  thereof.  Hence,  a 
good  king  was  a  vara  avis  in  those  days,  and  could 
never  be  too  highly  prized.  So  soon  as  he  ipounted 
the  throne,  his  subjects  began  to  feel  the  beneficent  in- 
fluence of  his  sway.  He  was  to  them  "  as  when  the 
sun  riseth."  The  confusion  which  had  existed  under 
weak  governors  gave  place  to  settled  order,  while  the 
rapacity  which  had  continually  emptied  the  coffers  of 
the  rich,  and  filched  the  earnings  of  the  poor,  gave 
place  to  a  regular  system  of  assessment,  and  men  knew 
how  to  go  about  their  business  with  some  degree  of 
certainty.    It  was  to  them  "  a  morning  without  clouds." 


62  Types  and  Emblems. 

Forthwith,  trade  began  to  flourish ;  persons  who  had 
emigrated  to  avoid  the  exactions  of  the  tyrant  came 
back  again  ;  fields  which  had  fallen  out  of  tillage,  be- 
cause they  would  not  pay  the  farmer  to  cultivate  them, 
began  to  be  sown  ;  and  the  new  ruler  was  to  the  land 
as  "  clear  shining  after  rain,  which  makes  the  tender 
grass  spring  up." 

I  fear  we  do  not  value,  as  we  should,  the  constitu- 
tional government  which  it  is  our  privilege  as  Britons 
to  enjoy.  Let  us  look  where  we  may — we  need  not 
say  to  the  east  only  but  to  the  west  also — we  would 
not  wish  to  change  the  government  under  which  we 
live  so  happily.  Let  us  gratefully  acknowledge  to 
God  his  tender  mercy,  and  his  goodness,  in  sparing  us 
alike  from  the  refractory  elements  of  a  republic,  and  the 
prodigious  exactions  of  a  despotism,  and  for  giving  us 
to  dwell  in  a  quiet  and  peaceable  kingdom,  wherein 
we  can  sit  "every  man  under  his  own  vine  and  under 
his  own  fig-tree,  none  making  him  afraid."  "VVe  may 
say,  I  am  sure,  of  Her  Majesty  who  is  set  over  us  in 
the  order  of  Providence,  that  she  has  been  "  as  the  sun 
when  he  riseth,  as  a  morning  without  clouds."  Under 
her  generous  sway  our  country  has  been  verdant.  As 
"  the  earth  by  clear  shining  after  rain  "  bringeth  forth 
the  green  herb,  so  have  our  institutions  fostered  our 
trade  and  commerce  by  the  good-will  and  gracious 
providence  of  God. 

But,  it  is  not  my  object  at  present  to  enlarge  upon 
the  secular  benefits  that  have  fallen  to  our  lot ;  though 
I  should  not  think  it  unworthy  of  the  Christian  minister 
to  pursue  a  theme  which  calls  for  so  much  gratitude  to 
God,  and  might  foster  so  much  good  feeling  among  our- 


Boyal  Ernhlems  for  Loyal  Subjects.  63 

selves.     We  might  make  one  another  feel  that  there  are 
vast  mercies  we  enjoy  which  would  be  more  esteemed 
if  better  known.     Just  as  the  Bible  speaks  of  Christ's 
unknown  sufferings,  so  many  of  the  bounties  that  we 
daily  enjoy  have  become  so  common  that  we  are  oblivi- 
ous of  them  ;  and,  therefore,  I  might  call  them  our  un- 
known mercies.    It  well  becomes  us  to  lift  up  our  voices 
and  hearts  to  heaven,  and  thank  God  for  the  happy  land, 
and  for  the  happy  age  in  which  the  lines  have  fallen  to 
us.    Still,  I  take  it  that  David  was  not  so  much  speaking 
of  mere  political  rulers  as  of  Christ  Jesus,  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords,  whose  sway  is  always  gracious  and 
full  of  good- will.    May  his  kingdom  come !  "  Behold,  I 
come  quickly,"  he  crieth  from  heaven  ;  "  Even  so,  come 
quickly.  Lord  Jesus,"  respond  those  whose  love  inspires 
their  worship.     His  kingdom  is  "  as  the  sun  when  it 
riseth,  as  a  morning  without  clouds  ;  "  and,  when  it  shall 
have  been  perfectly  established  upon  the  earth,  all  men 
shall  know  that  the  Son  of  David,  whom  once  they  re- 
jected, is  he  by  whom  God  would  make  all  generations 
to  be  blessed  for  ever  and  ever.     May  we  who  have 
waited  and  watched  for  his  glorious  advent  live  when 
he  standeth  in  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth,  and  may 
we  constitute  a  part  of  that  glorious  harvest,  the  fruit 
whereof  shall  shake  like  the  cedars  of  Lebanon.     Thus 
we  look  for  the  day  wherein  the  Lord  shall  come  in 
the  clouds  of  heaven. 

David  says  of  Christ,  "He  shall  be  as  the  light  of 
the  morning  when  the  sun  riseth."  This  he  is  as  king, 
already,  in  his  church,  and  as  the  rightful  monarch  in 
the  individual  heart  of  the  believer.  Wherever  Christ 
comes  into  a  soul,  it  is  as  the  light  of  the  morning  when 


64  Types  and  Eniblems, 

the  snn  risetli.  The  light  of  the  morning  is  joyous, 
then  all  the  birds  begin  to  sing,  and  the  earth  which 
is  silent  at  night,  save  when  its  stillness  is  disturbed  by 
stormy  winds,  or  b^'  wild  beasts,  or  by  riotous  drunken 
people,  beconieth  vocal  with  songs  from  many  mouths  ; 
80  when  Christ  cometli  into  the  heart,  the  tuneful  notes 
of  the  singing  birds  are  heard ;  and  the  voice  of  the 
turtle  welcomes  the  gladsome  season.  Where  darkness 
had  brooded  before,  the  sunlight  of  Christ  bringeth 
mirth  and  blessed  rejoicing.  Oh,  what  streamers,  are 
there  in  the  town  of  Mansoul  when  Prince  Emmanuel 
ncTetli  through  !  Happy  day,  happy  day,  when  Jesus 
comes  into  the  heart !  Save  the  da}''  when  we  shall  be 
with  him  where  he  is,  I  suppose  there  is  no  day  that  is 
comparable  to  the  first  one,  when  we  behold  Christ,  and 
see  him,  as  our  Saviour  and  our  King.  The  rising  of 
the  sun  is  joyous,  and,  besides  that,  it  is  comforting  and 
consoling  "to  those  who  have  been  suffering  from  ills 
which  night  might  aggravate.  "  Would  God  'twere 
morning  !  "  has  been  the  cry  of  many  a  languishing  one 
tossing  upon  his  couch :  "  Would  God  'twere  morn- 
ino^ !  "  mav  be  the  cry  of  manv  a  heart  that  is  troubled 
exceedino^lv  with  the  o^uilt  of  sin.  Ah,  let  the  mornino: 
come.  Let  the  watchman  say,  "  The  morning  cometh  ;  " 
let  the  day  dawn,  and  the  day-star  appear  in  our 
hearts,  and  "  there  is  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the 
garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness."  Joy  to 
'heer  and  comfort  the  disconsolate  Christ  bringeth,  for 
ne  is  as  the  rising  of  the  sun. 

And,  how  glorious  is  the  sun  when  from  his  pavilion 
he  looks  forth  at  morn  !  Job  describes  the  sunrise  as 
being  the  stamping  of  the  earth  with  a  seal ;  as  if,  when 


Eoyal  Emblems  for  Loyal  Subjects.  65 

in  darkness,  the  earth  were  like  a  lump  of  clay  that  is 
pervious  ;  then,  as  it  is  turned  to  the  light,  it  beginneth 
to  receive  the  impress  of  Divine  wisdom  ;  mountain 
and  vale  all  stream  with  it,  till  impressed  on  its  surface 
we  begin  to  perceive  the  glorious  works  of  God.     So 
when  Christ  riseth  upon  the  heart,  what  a  glorious  trans- 
formation is  wrought !     Where  there  has  been  no  love, 
no  faith,  no  peace,  no  joy,  none  of  the  blessed  fruits  of  the 
Spirit,  no  sooner  does  Christ  come  than  we  perceive  all 
the  graces  in  blossom  ;  yea,  they  soon  become  fragrant 
and  blooming,  for  we  are  made  complete  in  him.     The 
advent  of  Christ  bringeth  to  the  heart  celestial  beauty  ; 
laith  in  himdecketh  us  with  ornaments  and  clothes  us 
as  with  royal  apparel.   Better  garments  than  Dives  had, 
though  he  wore  scarlet  and  fine  linen,  doth  Christ  give 
to  hi's  people  when  he  cometh  to  them  ;  and  better  fare 
than  Dives  had,  though  he  fared  sumptuously  every  day, 
does  Jesus  bestow  upon  his  saints  when  he  shineth  into 
their  hearts.  Oh,  the  glory  of  the  sun-rise  of  the  Saviour 
on  the  darkness  of  the  human  soul !     If  a  man  might 
rise  every  morning  of  the  year  to  look  at  the  rising  sun, 
and  yet  never  be  tired  of  it,  because  of  the  sublimity  of 
the  spectacle  ;  methinks  a  man  might  consider  his  own 
conversion  every  hour  in  the  day,  and  every  day  of  his 
life,  and  yet  never  be  wearied  with  the  thrice  heavenly 
spectacle  of  Christ  arising  over  the  mountains  of  his 
guilt,  to  banish  the  dense  darkness  of  his  despair.     As 
the    sun-rising   is  thus  joyous,  and   comforting,  and 
glorious,  let  us  remember  how  unparalleled  it  is— unpa- 
ralleled because  divine.  By  no  method  of  illumination 
can  we  manufacture  such  a  light  as  the  sun  exhibits  by 
his  simple  rising.  O  ye  priests,  ye  come,  with  your  in- 


66  Types  and  Emhlems. 

cantations  and  m^'steries,  to  make  light  in  men's  hearts, 
and  sometimes  ye  strike  a  spark  that  doth  but  show  the 
darkness;  it  dieth  too  soon  to  be  called  "the  light-" 
And  je  pile  your  deeds  to  heaven — your  faggots  of  good 
works — ye  put  your  van-load  of  superstitious  observ- 
ances, and  vainly  tvj  to  make  an  illumination  ;  but  ere 
it  begiimeth  to  blaze  it  dieth  out,  and  a  handful  of  ashes 
alone  remains  to  disappoint  the  expectant  ones.  But, 
Christ  ariseth,  and  with  what  boundless  majesty  he 
looks  abroad.  The  joy,  the  peace,  the  comfort,  the 
confidence,  the  full  assurance,  the  blissful  hope,  which 
one  ray  of  Christ's  light  gives  to  the  heart  of  man  is  not 
to  be  equalled — nay,  scarcely  to  be  compared  with  any-- 
thing  else.  It  is  a  joy  that  God  only  giveth  us,  and, 
thank  God,  a  joy  which  none  can  take  away.  And, 
as  this  sun-rise  of  Christ  in  our  heart  is  Divine,  so 
likewise  it  is  irresistible.  No  curtains  can  conceal  the 
6un  from  the  world  when  he  willeth  to  rise.  Ko  tyrant, 
by  any  law,  can  prevent  the  sun's  beams  from  gilding 
the  cottage  of  the  poor.  Shine  he  must,  and  will. 
Like  a  giant  he  cometh  out  of  his  chamber,  and  where 
is  he  that  shall  wrestle  with  him  ?  Where  art  thou, 
O  man,  who  can  take  the  bridle  of  the  sun,  and  bid 
his  courses  staj^  theii*  race  ?  Until  they  have  climbed  to 
heaven,  and  then  gone  down  again  to  bathe  their  burn- 
ing fetlocks  in  the  Western  Sea,  they  must,  they  will 
pursue  their  onward  course,  for  none  can  stay  them,  or 
say  to  their  mighty  driver,  "  What  doest  thou  ?  "  So, 
when  Jesus  comes  into  the  heart — avaunt,  thou  fiend  ! 
Thy  time  of  flight  is  come  !  Away  despair  and  doubt, 
and  aught  that  can  prevent  the  soul  from  having  joy  and 
peace  !  Thus  the  eternal  mandate  runs  :  "  Let  that  man 


Royal  Emhlems  for  Loyal  SuhjecU,  67 

go  free  ? "  Thus  saitli  Jehovah  to  Pharaoh  :  "  Let  my 
people  go  ;  "  and  go  they  must  and  shall,  for  the  time 
of  their  light  and  liberty  is  come.  Like  the  rising  of 
the  sun  when  he  springs  forth  '*  as  a  giant  strong,  and 
as  a  bridegroom  gay,"  even  so  is  Christ  Jesus  when  he 
riseth  in  the  human  heart. 

The  sun-rise,  moreover,  is  very  much  like  the  coming 
of  Christ,  because  of  that  which  it  involveth.  Those 
raj^s  of  light  which  first  forced  the  darkness  from  the 
sky  with  golden  prophecy  of  da}^  tell  of  flowers  that 
shall  open  their  cups  to  drink  in  the  sun-light ;  they 
tell  of  streams  that  shall  sparkle  as  they  flow ;  they 
tell  of  the  virgins  that  shall  make  merry,  and  the 
young  men  that  shall  rejoice,  because  the  sun  shineth 
on  them,  and  the  darkness  of  night  is  fled.  And  so 
the  coming  of  Christ  into  the  heart  is  a  prophecy  of 
years  of  sweet  enjoyment — a  prophecy  of  God's  good- 
ness and  long-suffering,  let  night  reign,  elsewhere,  as 
it  may — yea,  and  it  is  a  prophecy  of  the  fulness  of  the 
river  of  God,  for  ever  and  ever,  before  the  throne  of 
God  in  heaven.  Hast  thou  Christ,  poor  soul  ?  Christ 
is  to  thee  the  prophet  of  eternal  happiness.  Thou 
canst  not  be  dark  again  if  Christ  hath  once  shone  on 
thee.  No  night  shall  follow  this  blessed  day  ;  it  is  a 
day  that  lasts  for  ever. 

"  Doth  Jesus  once  upon  thee  shine, 
Then  Jesus  is  for  ever  thine." 

Hath  Christ  appeared  to  thee  ?  Dost  thou  trust  him 
now  ?  Art  thou  reposing  only  upon  his  finished  work  ? 
Then  the  sun  hath  risen  upon  thee,  and  it  shall  go 
down  no  more  for  ever.  The  everlasting  Joshua  bid- 
deth  the  sun  stand  still,  and  to-day  and  to  morrow, 


68  Ty])es  and  EmUems. 

though  the  whole  world  revolve,  that  Snn  of  Eight- 
eoiisness  abideth  still  to  shine  on  thee  vrith  healing  in 
his  wings. 

We  must  proceed  to  notice  that  the  psalmist  uses 
anotlier  figure  :  "Even  as  a  morning  without  clouds." 
Brethren,  there  are  no  clouds  in  Christ  when  he  ariseth 
in  a  sinner's  heart.  The  clouds  that  mostly  cover  our 
sky  come  from  Sinai,  from  the  law,  and  from  our  own 
legal  propensities,  for  we  are  always  wishing  to  do 
something  by  which  we  may  inherit  eternal  life ;  but 
there  are  none  of  these  clouds  in  Christ.  There  is  no 
cloud  in  Christ  of  angry  rebuk<3  for  the  past.  When 
Jesus  receiveth  the  sinner,  he  chideth  not.  "  Neither 
do  I  condemn  thee"  is  all  that  he  hath  to  say.  I 
thought  when  I  came  tremblingly  to  him,  that  at  least 
he  would  bring  all  my  sins  befoi-e  me,  and  chide  me 
before  he  sealed  my  pardon  with  the  kiss  of  mercy ; 
but  it  was  not  so.  The  Father  received  the  prodigal 
without  a  single  word  of  rebuke.  He  did  but  say, 
"  Take  off  his  rags ; "  he  did  but  command  them  to  kill 
the  fatted  calf  that  they  might  make  merry  ;  not  a  word 
doth  he  speak  of  his  hungry  looks,  nor  his  filth,  nor  of 
the  far  country,  nor  even  of  the  harlots  with  whom  he 
had  spent  his  substance.  Christ  receiveth  the  soul 
without  rebuke,  for  he  is  "  as  a  morning  without  clouds." 

And,  as  there  is  no  cloud  of  anger,  so  there  is  no 
cloud  of  exacting  demand.  He  doth  not  ask  the  sinner 
to  be  anything,  or  to  do  anything.  That  were  a  cloud, 
indeed,  if  he  did.  A  sinner  by  nature  can  do  nothing, 
and  can  be  nothing,  except  as  gi'ace  shall  make  him  be 
and  do.  If  Christ  did  ask  anything  of  you  or  me,  if 
he   did  but  ask  repentance  of  us,  unless  he  gave  us 


Royal  Emblems  for  Loyal  Subjects,  69 

that  repentance,  liis  salvation  would  be  of  no  avail  to 
ns.  But  he  askcth  nothing;  all  he  bids  ns  to  do  is  to 
take  him  as  everything-,  and  be  nothing  ourselves.  So, 
to  the  empty-handed  sinner,  he  is  such  a  full  Christ, 
that  we  may  well  say,  "  He  is  a  morning  without  clouds." 
And, .as  he  is  without  cloud  of  demand,  so  he  is  with- 
out cloud  of  falsehood.  I  know  that  some  say  Christ 
may  reject  those  who  have  put  their  trust  in  him — that 
after  they  are  saved,  they  may  yet  fall  from  grace  and 
perish.  Surely,  that  were  not  a  morning  without 
clouds?  I  should  see  in  the  distance  the  tempest 
gathering  that  might  ultimately  destroy  my  spirit ;  but 
no,  if  thou  trustest  Christ,  he  will  surely  save  thee,  even 
to  the  end.  If  thou  puttest  thy  soul  into  his  hand, 
there  is-  no  fear  that  he  shall  be  false  to  the  sacred 
charge ;  he  will  undertake  to  be  surety  for  thy  soul ; 
he  will  bring  thee  to  his  Fathers  face  without  hin- 
drance, when  the  fulness  of  time  is  come.  Trouble  not 
yourselves,  O  ye  anxious  ones,  concerning  the  future. 
Does  faith  reach  only  to  the  present?  Do  ye  trust 
Christ  only  to  save  you  to-day  ?  I  pray  you  take  a 
larger  sweep  of  confidence,  and  trust  him  to  save  you 
to  the  end.  If  you  do  so,  he  will  be  better  to  you 
than  your  fears  would  suggest,  or  than  your  faith  can 
conceive ;  to  the  end  he  will  love  you,  and  in  the  end 
he  will  bring  you  to  be  like  him,  and  to  be  with  him 
where  he  is.  Happy  is  that  man  who  seeth  Christ 
"  as  a  morning  without  clouds."-  They  who  see  an}" 
clouds  in  him  make  the  clouds.  The  clouds  are  only 
in  their  vision  ;  they  are  not  in  his  person.  The  spots 
and  defects  are  in  themselves ;  they  are  not  in  his 
person  nor  in  his  work.     If  thou  wilt  only  trust-him 


70  Types  and  EmUems, 

fully,  simply, without  any  admixture  of  tliiue  own  merit 
or  confidence,  thou  shalt  find  him  to  be  equal  to  the 
brightest  description — a  morning  without  a  single  cloud. 

But,  now,  to  the  last  figure.  Upon  this  we  intend  to 
dwell  at  somewhat  greater  length.  David  says  of 
Christ,  the  king,  that  his  sway  is  like  "  clear  shining 
after  rain,  whereby  the  tender  grass  is  made  to  spring 
out  of  the  earth."  We  all  understand  the  metaphor. 
"We  have  often  seen  how,  after  a  very  heavy  shower 
of  rain,  and  sometimes  after  a  continued  rainy  season, 
when  the  sun  shines,  there  is  a  delightful  clearness 
and  freshness  in  the  air  that  we  seldom  perceive  at 
other  times.  Perhaps,  the  brightest  weather  is  just 
when  the  wind  has  drifted  away  the  clouds,  and  the 
rain  has  ceased,  and  the  sun  peers  forth  from  his 
chambers  to  look  down  upon  the  glad  earth.  Well, 
now,  Christ  is  to  his  people  just  like  that — exceedingly 
clear-shining  when  the  rain  is  over. 

Sorrow  and  sadness  do  not  last  forever.  After  the 
rain  there  is  to  come  the  clear  shining.  Tried  believer, 
after  all  thy  afilictions  there  remains  a  rest  for  the 
people  of  God ;  and  if,  just  now,  thou  art  tried  and 
vexed  b}^  some  extraordinary  trial,  there  is  a  clear 
shining  coming  to  thy  soul  when  all  this  rain  is  over. 
Look  to  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  find  where  that  clear 
shining  is.  The  quiet  contemplation  thou  shalt  have 
of  him,  when  this  time  of  rebuke  is  over,  shall  then  be 
to  thee  as  the  earth  when  the  tempest  has  sobbed  itself 
to  sleep,  when  the  clouds  have  rent  themselves  to  rags, 
and  the  sun  peers  out,  shooting  forth  virtue  with  its  lus- 
trous rays.  And  while  sorrows,  like  the  floating  clouds, 
last  not  for  ever,  they  do  work  together  with  the  bliss. 


Royal  Eiablems  for  Loyal  Subjects.  71 

that  as  the  clear  sunshine  followeth  afterwards,  to  pro- 
duce good.  It  is  not  in  the  sorrow,  perhaps,  to  bring 
forth  good  alone,  any  more  than  the  rain  might  alto- 
gether bring  forth  the  spring  blade ;  but  when  the  sorrow 
and  the  joy,  when  the  affliction  and  the  consolation,  come 
together,  then  the  joy  of  the  heart  is  indeed  benign. 
None  bring  forth  much  fruit  for  God  but  those  who 
have  been  deeply  ploughed  with  affliction  and  deluged 
with  grief,  but  even  they  do  not  bring  forth  much  fruit 
till  they  have  had  the  joy  of  Christ's  presence  after  the 
affliction  is  over.  Clear  shining  after  rain  produces  an 
atmosphere  exceedingly  good  for  the  herbs,  and  the 
joy  of  the  soul  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  after  a 
time  of  sorrow,  makes  it  able  to  grow  in  grace  and  in 
the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 
Thus,  after  time  of  great  trouble,  Christ  becometh 
to  his  people  more  specially  and  delightfully  sweet  than 
he  has  ever  been  before.  I  notice  this  in  many  instances. 
It  is  manifest  in  conversion.  What  happy,  happy  days 
were  our  first  young  days  in  the  faith.  I  cannot  for- 
get mine — I  never  shall.  When  talking  with  those  who 
come  to  tell  me  what  God  has  done  for  their  souls,  I 
notice  the  freshness  upon  their  memory  of  every  sepa- 
rate event  on  the  day  of  their  new  birth ;  they  can  tell 
how  Christ  appeared  unto  them,  and  how  they  looked 
unto  him  and  were  lightened.  "  I  can  never  forget 
that,  sir,  till  I  die,"  says  one ;  "  I  have  a  very  bad 
memory,  and  I  forget  almost  everything  that  is  good, 
but  that  I  shall  never  forget,  for  it  was  such  a  joyous 
season."  I  know  that  many  of  you  have  had  good 
days,  but  they  have  been  like  pieces  of  money  that 
you   received    when  children,  very  bright  once  ;  but 


72  Tyjpes  and  Euiblems. 

they  have  passed  about  and  worn  in  circulation,  until 
they  have  lost  the  image  and  superscription  which  was 
once  so  bright  to  your  eyes.  IS^ot  so  the  day  of  your 
nev\^  birth,  it  has  been  like  a  coin,  as  fresh  as  \vhen 
you  laid  it  aside,  and  when  you  take  it  out  again,  it  is 
as  fresh  as  the  mint  delivered  it,  and  you  can  read  it 
still,  and  read  the  image  of  Christ  which  it  bears.  I 
think  there  is  scarce  such  a  day  on  earth  to  be  had  in 
Christian  experience,  as  that  first  day  when  we  came 
to  Christ  and  knew  him. 

The  like  is  true  also,  in  its  measure,  after  great  and 
heavy  affliction.  You  have  been  bereaved.  A  wife, 
a  husband,  a  child,  has  been  removed  from  you ;  or, 
you  had  a  great  loss  in  business,  you  were  crossed  in 
some  expectation,  and  you  were  cast  into  the  lowest 
depth  of  trouble.  Friends  failed  you,  consolation  fled 
fi'om  you  ;  but,  after  a  time,  you  had  a  sweet  resigna- 
tion; you  could  say,  "My  soul  is  even  as  a  weaned 
child  ; "  your  troubles  somehow  or  other  grew  sweet 
as  honey,  though  before  they  had  been  bitter  as  gall. 
You  saw  the  finger  of  a  loving  Lord  in  all  those  grav- 
ing lines  of  affliction,  which  the  chisel  had  made  upon 
your  brow ;  you  saw  the  great  Refiner  sitting  at  the 
mouth  of  the  furnace,  watching  your  gold  that  it  might 
not  be  destroyed,  and  rejoicing  over  your  dross,  because 
it  melted  away  in  the  flame.  Do  you  remember  it  ? 
Why,  I  can  look  back  to  some  of  the  happiest  seasons 
of  my  life,  and  see  them  stand  in  juxtaposition  with 
the  blackest  times  of  trial.  Oh,  it  has  been,  sometimes, 
a  glorious  thing  to  be  cast  down. by  rebuke  and  slander, 
and  then  go  into  one's  chamber  and  lay  Rabshakeh's 
letter  before  the  Lord,  and  to  go  down  and  feel  more 


Royal  Eiriblems  for  Loyal  Subjects.  73 

glad  than  a  king  of  a  hundred  kingdoms,  because  wa 
have  been  counted  worthy  to  suffer  reproach  for  Christ ; 
and  there  is  a  cahii  within  us  more  deep  and  profound 
than  before.  And,  mark  j^ou,  if  it  has  been  so  with 
us  individually,  it  has  been  no  less  so  with  the  church. 
Remember  the  clear  shining  after  rain  in  the  apostles' 
times.  "  Then  had  the  churches  rest,  and  walking  in 
the  fear  of  God,  were  multiplied."  Those  little  seasons 
of  hush  and  calm,  between  the  great  persecutions,  have 
always  been  prolific  of  converts.  I  hope  in  the  midst 
of  successive  controversies  which  darken  the  sky  over- 
head, that  when  the  rain  is  over,  and  the  noise  and 
trouble  it  costs  some  tender  spirits  has  ceased,  and  the 
powers  of  darkness  have  been  hushed  to  sleep  once 
more,  we  may  have  some  clear  shining  after  rain,  and 
brotherl}^  fellowship  once  again  to  be  renewed.  The 
day  Cometh  when  the  great  battle  of  Armageddon  shall 
be  fought;  when  the  powers  of  darkness  shall  be 
roused  to  frenzy's  highest  pitch ;  when  hell  shall  be 
loosed,  and  the  great  dragon  shall  be  periiutted  to  come 
upon  the  earth,  trailing  its  chain  along  in  the  suprem- 
acy of  its  hour — then,  when  dreadful  war  shall  come 
upon  the  earth,  when  nations  shall  reel  and  stagger  to 
and  fro,  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven 
with  a  shout,  with  the  trump  of  the  archangel  and  the 
voice  of  God,  and  there  shall  be  clear  shining  after  the 
rain.  And  then,  when  the  flames  shall  have  consumed 
this  orb,  when  judgment  shall  have  been  passed,  when 
death  and  hell  shall  have  been  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire, 
when  all  the  powers  of  evil  shall  have  been  utterly 
destroyed  before  the  majesty  ot  his  coming  who  shall 
overturn  them,  that  his  kingdom  maybe  established  in 
4 


74  Types  and  Linhlems. 

heaven  ;  everlasting  hallelujahs,  "  For  the  Lord  God 
omnipotent  reignetb/'  shall  bear  witness  that  there  is 
clear  shining  after  the  rain:  for  so  it  must  be  in  the 
little  as  the  great,  in  the  experience  of  the  individual 
as  in  that  of  the  multitude ;  there  must  be  a  rain,  and 
there  must  be  the  clear  shining  after  it,  and  the  two 
toijether  shall  brins:  forth  a  matchless  harvest  to  the 
praise  and  glory  of  his  grace,  who  worketh  all  things 
according  to  the  counsel  of  his  own  will. 

Ask  ye,  now,  why  is  it  that  God  giveth  to  his  peo- 
ple sweet  seasons  just  after  the  bitter  ? 

One  reason  is  to  take  the  taste  of  the  bitter  out  of  their 
mouth.  Even  as  to  our  little  children,  when  they  take 
their  nauseous  medicine,  we  give  some  sweatmeat ;  so 
doth  the  Lord  often,  when  he  cometh  to  his  little  ones, 
give  them  such  sweet  honey  of  his  grace  that  they  forget 
their  sufferings  in  the  sweet  nectar  which  he  vouchsaf- 
eth  them.  Another  reason,  no  doubt,  is  lest  they  should 
be  utterly  destroyed  by  the  terror  of  his  judgment.  "  He 
tempereth  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb ; "  but,  better 
than  that,  he  taketh  it  to  his  bosom,  and  when  it  lieth 
there  little  doth  it  know  that  but  for  the  rain  and  the 
tempest  it  had  not  laid  in  his  bosom,  and  been  fondled 
there  so  tenderly.  He  put  it  there  lest  it  should  perish. 

Then,  again,  he  doth  it  as  a  sweet  reward  of  faith. 
He  seeth  thee  in  trouble  bravely  struggling  with  the  tem- 
pest, and  saith  :  "  I  will  reward  that  man."  He  seeth 
thee  following  him  in  the  garden,  still  clinging  to  him 
amidst  all  the  darkness  and  temptation  ;  and,  therefore, 
he  saith  :  "  I  will  give  to  that  soul  such  joy,  by-and-by, 
that  it  shall  be  well  rewarded  for  its  faithfulness  to  me 
in  the  past." 


Royal  Emblems  for  Loyal  Subjects.  75 

Is  it  not  to  prepare  you  for  the  future,  that,  in  looking 
back,  you  may  say,  "  The  last  time  I  had  trouble 
there  was  clear  shining  after  the  rain,  and  so  I  feel  it 
will  be  next  time  ?  "  Ah,  thou  timid  one,  there  is  a  trial 
coming ;  it  looms  over  thy  head.  What !  and  didst 
thou  behave  valiantly  for  thy  master  in  former  times, 
and  wilt  thou  be  a  coward  now  ?  Ah,  my  brother, 
thinkest  thou  there  is  a  time  of  ruin  threatening  thee, 
and  thou  sayest :  "  His  mercy  is  clean  gone  for  ever ; 
he  will  be  faithful  to  me  no  more."  O,  wherefore  dost 
thou  say  that  ?  Doth  my  Lord  deserve  it  ?  Hath  he 
been  with  thee  in  six  troubles  ? — why  should  he  forsake 
thee  in  the  seventh  ?  He  that  hath  helped  thee  hith- 
erto will  surely  help  thee  to  the  end.  Wherefore  hath 
he  delivered  thee  in  the  tempest,  if  he  means  to  let  thee 
sink  at  last  ?  No ;  by  the  kindness  of  the  past,  the 
love  experienced  in  former  days,  let  thy  faith  put  out 
its  great  sheet  anchor  and  outride  the  storm,  for  there 
shall  again  be  "  Clear  shining  after  the  rain." 

And,  surely,  these  changeful  seasons  of  ours,  and  that 
constant  ordinance  of  his,  ought  to  make  us  sick  of 
self  and  fond  of  him.  He  putteth  gall  on  the  world, 
and  he  putteth  honey  on  his  own  lips  ;  so  that  we  may 
eschew  the  one  and  love  the  other.  We  are  so  fond  of 
this  world  that  we  must  be  drawn  away  from  it :  and 
when  we  are  drawn  away  from  it,  and  enticed  to  him, 
our  foolish  hearts  come  to  know  his  value,  and  we  yield 
ourselves  up  to  him. 

I  cannot  tell  to  whom  this  sermon  is  addressed.  I  am 
sure  it  has  a  mission  to  fulfil.  O  brothers  and  sisters, 
it  may  be  that  these  words  may  be  worth  a  mine  of  gold 
to  some  of  you,  as  a  clear  shining  after  rain.     If  they 


76  Types  and  Emhlems. 

reach  thy  case,  do  thank  my  Master  for  it.  He  may 
have  a  harvest  from  thy  soul  yet.  Be  sure  that  ye  give 
him  the  first-fruits  of  the  harvest.  When  there  is  clear 
shining  after  the  rain,  honor  him  more,  serve  him 
hetter,  give  more  to  his  cause,  pray  more  for  his  people, 
live  more  in  his  fear,  commune  more  with  him,  and 
walk  more  closely  to  him.  Let  it  be  true  that  in  thy 
case,  as  in  that  of  this  round  world,  the  rain  and  the 
clear  shining  after  it  have  brought  forth  their  abundant 
fruit.  When  you  and  I  shall  get  to  heaven,  we  will 
talk  on  its  green  and  flowery  mounts  of  all  the  showers 
through  which  we  passed,  and  of  the  clear  shining: 
and,  in  the  sacred  high  eternal  noon,  which  shall  be  our 
portion  ever,  we  shall,  with  transporting  joys,  recount 
the  labors  of  the  past,  and  sing  of  the  clear  shining 
after  the  rain. 

How  sad  the  thought  that  there  is  no  "  Clear  shining 
after  rain  "  for  some  of  you.  There  is  a  rain  of  trouble 
in  reserve  for  you — that  you  know ;  there  will  be 
more  troubles  yet  in  this  life  ;  there  is  a  heavy  shower 
coming  yet  in  death,  and  then  it  shall  rain  for  ever,  and 
there  shall  be  a  horrible  tempest — that  is  your  portion. 
If  ye  believe  not  tliat  Jesus  is  Christ,  and  trust  not  your 
Bouls  to  him,  all  the  woe  you  have  ever  known  is  as 
nothing;  it  is  but  the  first  spattering  of  the  drops  on 
the  pavement;  it  is  nothing  compared  with  the  storm 
which  shall  beat  upon  your  head — 3'our  unsheltered 
head,  for  ever  and  ever.  But  refuge  is  before  thee, 
man  !  The  sky  is  dark,  the  tempest  lowers ;  but  the 
refuge  is  before  thee.  Run !  in  God's  name,  run ! 
The  storm  comes  hastening  on,  as  if  God  were  gather- 
ing up  all  his  black  artillery  that  he  might  discharge 


Royal  Emhlems  for  Loyal  Subjects,  77 

his  dreadful  thunders  upon  thee.  Eun  !  "  But  can  I 
enter?"  Yes,  the  door  is  open  ;  run!  "But  may  I 
enter?"  Yes,  he  invites  thee:  "Come  unto  me,  3^ea, 
come  unto  me — come  this  night — trust  me,"  he  says, 
"  and  I  will  save  thy  soul."  "  But  I  am  unworthy." 
Well,  see  the  tempest !  Kun !  Let  thine  unworthi- 
ness  put  feathers  to  thy  feet,  and  not  stop  thee  in 
thy  haste.  Jesus  calls  thee  from  his  throne  in  heaven ; 
he  invites  thee  :  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  "  The 
Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come ;  and  let  him  that 
heareth  say,  Come."  Heaven  and  earth  say.  Come. 
Sinner,  wilt  thou  avoid  the  tempest?  Wilt  thou  flee 
and  find  shelter  in  Christ  ?  God  help  thee  to  trust 
Christ  now^  and  unto  him  shall  be  the  glory,  for  ever 
and  ever.     Amen. 


%  Irail  ftaf. 


Wilt  thou  break  a  leaf  driven  to  and  fro  ?  " — Job  xiii.  25. 


OOR  Job  !  who  could  have  been  brought  lower? 
He  had  lost  his  possessions,  his  children,  his 
health  ;  he  was  covered  with  sore  boils,  and 
he  was  aggravated  by  the  unkind  speeches  of 
his  friends.  In  his  cLeep  distress  he  turns  to 
God,  and  finding  no  other  plea  so  near  at  hand  he 
makes  a  plea  of  his  own  distress.  He  compares  him- 
self to  the  weakest  thing  he  could  think  of,  and  then 
he  says  to  God,  the  great  and  the  merciful,  "  Wilt  t/iou, 
so  glorious  in  power  and  so  matchless  in  goodness — 
wilt  thou  break  77ie,  who  am  like  a  poor  leaf  fallen  from 
the  tree,  sere  and  dry,  and  driven  to  and  fro  in  the 
wind  ?  "  Thus  he  draws  an  argument  out  of  his  weak- 
ness. Because  he  is  so  low  and  insignificant  and 
powerless  he  lays  hold  upon  the  divine  strength  and 
pleads  for  pity. 

It  is  a  common  figure  he  uses,  that  of  a  leaf  driven  to 
and  fro.  Strong  gusts  of  wind,  it  may  be  in  the  autumn 
when  the  leaves  hang  but  lightly  upon  the  trees,  send 
them  falling  in  showers  around  us ;  quite  helpless  to 
stay  their  own  course,  fluttering  in  the  air  to  and  fro, 


A  Frail  Leaf.  Y9 

like  winged  birds  that  could  not  steer  themselves,  but 
are  guided  by  every  fitful  blast  that  blew  upon  them,  at 
last  they  sunk  into  the  mire,  to  be  trodden  down  and 
forgotten.  To  these  Job  likens  himself — a  helpless, 
hopeless,  worthless,  weak,  despised,  perishing  thing ; 
and  he  appeals  to  the  awful  Majest}^  on  high,  and  he 
says  to  the  God  of  thunder  and  of  lightning,  '^  Wilt 
thou  put  out  thy  power  to  destroy  me  ?  Wilt  thou 
bring  forth  thy  dread  artillery  to  crush  such  an  insig- 
nificant creature  as  I  am  ?  With  all  the  goodness  of 
thy  great  heart — for  thy  name  is  God,  that  is  goo'd — 
wilt  thou  turn  thy  Almighty  power  against  me  ?  Oh, 
that  be  far  from  thee !  Out  of  pity  upon  my  utter 
weakness  and  nothingness,  turn  away  thy  hand,  and 
break  not  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro  !  " 

The  apprehension  is  so  startling,  the  appeal  so  forci- 
ble, that  the  argument  may  be  employed  in  a  great  many 
ways.  JIow  often  have  the  sick  usedit^  when  they  have 
been  brought  to  so  low  an  ebb  with  physical  pain  that 
life  itself  seemed  worthless  !  Stricken  with  disease, 
stung  with  smart,  and  fretted  with  acute  pangs,  they  felt 
that  if  the  affliction  continued  much  longer,  it  were  bet- 
ter for  them  to  die  than  live.  They  longed  for  the 
shades  of  death,  that  they  might  find  shelter  there. 
Turning  their  face  to  the  wall,  they  have  said,  "  O  God, 
60  weak  as  I  am,  wilt  thou  again  smite  me  ?  Shall  thy 
hand  again  fall  upon  me  ?  Thou  hast  laid  me  very  low. 
Wherefore  again  dost  thou  lift  up  thy  rod '(  Break  not, 
I  beseech  thee,  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro  !  " 

Not  less  applicable  the  plea  to  those  who  are  plunged 
into  the  depths  of  poverty  !  A  man  is  in  trouble  aris- 
ing from  destitution;  perhaps  he  has  been  long  out  of 


80  Types  and  Emhlems. 

work  ;  bread  is  not  to  be  found  ;  the  children  are  crj^ing, 
hungering,  starving;  the  habitation  has  been  stripped 
of  everj'thing  which  miglit  procure  a  little  nourishment. 
The  poor  wretch,  after  passing  through  seas  of  trouble, 
finds  himself  no  nearer  a  landing-place  than  before,  but 

"Sees  each  day  new  straits  attend, 
And  wonders  where  the  scene  will  end." 

Passing  through  the  streets  he  is  hardly  able  to  keep 
his  feet  from  the  pavement  or  his  skin  from  the  cold, 
by  reason  of  his  tattered  garments.  Homeless  and 
friendless,  life  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro,  he 
says,  "  O  God  !  wilt  thou  continue  this  much  longer? 
Wilt  thou  not  be  pleased  to  stay  thy  rough  wind, 
mitigate  the  sharpness  of  the  winter,  ease  my  adversity, 
and  give  me  peace  ?  " 

So,  too,  with  those  who  are  in  tro^ible  through  bereave- 
ment. One  child  has  been  taken  away,  and  then 
another.  The  shafts  of  death  flew  twice.  Then  came 
sickness  with  threatening  omen  upon  one  that  was 
nearer  and  dearer  still.  Still  did  not  the  desolation 
stay  its  gloomy  portents.  It  seemed  at  length  as 
though  the  widow  would  be  bereft  of  her  last  and  only 
child,  and  then  she  cried,  "  O  God !  I  am  already 
broken;  my  heart  is  like  a  ploughed  field,  cross- 
ploughed,  till  my  soul  is  ready  to  despair !  Wilt  thou 
utterly  break  mo  ?  Wilt  thou  spare  me  no  consolations, 
no  props  for  my  old  age  ?  Must  I  be  altogether  driven 
away  before  the  whirlwind,  and  find  no  rest?" 

Perhaps  it  is  even  more  harassing  in  cases  of  mental 
distress,  for,  after  all,  the  sharpest  pangs  we  feel  are 
not  those  of  the  body,  nor  those  of  the  estate,  but 
those  of  the  mind.     When   the  iron  enters  into  the 


A  Frail  Leaf,  81 

goul,  the  rust  thereof  is  poison.  "  The  spirit  of  a  man 
will  sustain  his  infirmity,  but  a  wounded  spirit  who 
can  bear  ?  You  may  be  surrounded  with  all  the  com- 
forts of  life,  and  yet  be  in  wretchedness  more  gloomy 
than  death  if  the  spirits  be  depressed.  You  may  have 
no  outward  cause  whatever  for  sorrow,  and  yet  if  the* 
mind  be  dejected,  the  brightest  sunshine  will  not  relieve 
your  gloom.  At  such  a  time,  you  may  be  vexed  with 
cares,  haunted  with  dreams,  and  scared  with  thoughts 
which  distract  you.  You  fear  that  your  sins  are  not 
pardoned,  that  your  past  transgressions  are  brought  to 
remembrance,  and  that  punishment  is  being  meted  out 
to  you  in  full  measure.  The  threatenings  rise  up  out 
of  God's  book,  and  seem  to  lift  sharp  swords  in  their 
hands  with  which  to  smite  you.  Time  is  dreadful  to 
you,  because  you  know^  it  is  hurrying  you  to  eternity  ; 
and  the  thought  of  eternity  stings  as  doth  an  adder, 
because  you  measure  the  future  reckoning  by  the  pres- 
ent distress.  At  such  a  time,  when  you  are  faint  with 
longing,  ready  to  despair,  driven  to  the  yQrg<^  of  mad- 
ness, I  can  imagine  your  crying  out,  "  O  Lord  God  of 
mercy,  I  am  as  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro  ;  wilt  thou 
quite  break  me,  and  utterly  destroy  me?  Have  compas- 
sion, and  show  thy  favor  to  thy  poor  broken  creature !  " 
Many  a  child  of  God  may  have  used  this,  and  if  he 
has  not  used  it  yet,  still  he  may  use  it.  There  are 
times  when  all  our  evidences  get  clouded,  and  all  our 
joys  are  red.  Though  we  may  still  cling  to  the  cross, 
yet  it  is  with  a  desperate  grasp.  God  brings  our  sins 
to  remembrance,  till  our  bones,  as  David  puts  it,  "  are 
sore  broken  by  reason  of  our  iniquity."  Then  it  is 
that,  all-broken,  we  can  turn  to  the  Strong  for  strength, 


82  Types  and  Emblems. 

and  use  the  plea  of  the  text,  "  AYilt  thou  break  a  leaf 
driven  to  and  fro  ? "  and  we  shall  get  for  our  answer 
these  comforting  words,  "  A  bruised  reed  he  will  not 
break,  and  smoking  flax  he  will  not  quench." 

I.  The  plea  is  such  as  arises  from  inward  con- 
sciousness. 

What  plea  is  more  powerful  to  ourselves  than  that 
which  we  draw  from  ourselves  ?  A  man  may  not  be 
sure  of  aught  that  is  without  him,  for  eyes  and  ears  may 
deceive  ;  but  he  is  always  pretty  well  assured  of  any- 
thing within  him,  for  that  which  he  perceives  in  his  own 
consciousness  he  is  very  tenacious  about.  ]^ow,  in  this 
case,  Job  was  quite  certain  about  his  own  weakness. 
How  could  he  doubt  that  ?  He  looked  upon  his  poor 
body  covered  with  sores,  he  looked  upon  his  friends  who 
had  perplexed  and  vexed  him  so  much,  and  he  felt  that 
he  was,  indeed,  just  like  a  sere  leaf  I  do  trust  that 
many  of  us  have  been  brought  by  God  the  Holy  Spirit 
into  such  an  humble  frame  of  mind  as  to  feel  that,  in  a 
certain  sense,  this  is  true  of  us  :  *'  O  God,  if  we  know 
ourselves  aright,  we  are  all  like  withered  leaves ;  we  once 
thought  ourselves  fresh  and  green ;  we  reckoned  that 
we  were  as  good  as  others,  so  we  made  a  tine  and  verdant 
profession  ;  but  lo  !  thou  liast  been  pleased  to  deal  with 
us,  and  all  the  fresh  verdure  of  what  we  thought  to  be 
our  piety — the  natural  piety  which  we  thought  we  pos- 
sessed— has  faded  and  withered,  and  now  we  are  con- 
vinced that  we  are  altogether  as  an  unclean  thing,  and 
that  all  our  righteousnesses  are  as  filth}-  rags.  Nay, 
the  hope  that  we  clung  to  as  the  leaf  clings  to  the  tree, 
we  have  had  to  give  up.  AVe  are  blown  away  from  that. 
We  were  once  upon  the  tree  of  good  works ;  we  seemed 


A  Frail  Leaf.  83 

as  if  we  had  life,  and  should  always  be  happy  there,  but 
the  winds  have  taken  us  away,  and  we  cannot  hold  on 
to  our  hope.  We  once  thought  that  we  could  do  every- 
thing ;  we  now  perceive  that  without  Christ  we  can  do 
nothing.  We  are  cast  forth  as  a  branch  separated  from 
the  vine  ;  we  are  withered.  What  can  a  leaf  do  ?  What 
power  has  it  to  resist  the  wind  ?  Just  so  we  feel  now  ; 
we  can  do  nothing ;  even  the  sin  that  dwelleth  in  us, 
like  the  wind,  carrieth  us  away ;  and  we  are  like  the 
leaf  in  the  wind,  subject  to  its  power. 

O,  my  brethren,  what  a  great  blessing  it  is  to  be 
made  to  know  our  weakness.  To  empty  the  sinner  of 
his  folly,  his  vanity  and  conceit,  is  no  easy  matter. 
Christ  can  easily  fill  him  with  wisdom  and  prudence, 
but  to  get  him  empty — this  is  the  work ;  this  is  the 
difficulty.  To  make  a  man  know  that  he  is  in  himself 
utterty  lost,  ruined,  and  undone  ;  this  is  the  Spirit  of 
God's  own  work.  We  ministers  cannot  make  a  man 
see  that,  however  diligently  we  may  point  it  out ;  only 
the  Spirit  of  God  can  enlighten  the  heart  to  discern  it ; 
and  yet,  until  a  man  does  see  it,  he  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  for  there  are  none  within  the  pearly 
gates  w^ho  were  not  once  broken-hearted  sinners.  Who 
could  come  there  and  sing,  "  Unto  Him  who  loved  us, 
and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  blood,"  but  those 
who  once  said,  "  Pardon  mine  iniquit}^,  for  it  is  great '{  " 
While  it  is  a  confession  of  weakness,  it  is  also  an 
acknowledgment  of  GocPs  power  to  push  that  weakness 
to  a  direful  conclusion.  "  Wilt  thou  break  me  ?  "  says 
the  text — "  Lord,  thou  canst  do  it.  In  one  minute  thou 
couldst  take  away  hope  from  every  one  of  us  now  in 
this  house  of  prayer."     Some  there  be  who  are  in  the 


8-i  Ty])€s  and  Enihlems. 

house  of  doom,  where  prayer  can  never  be  answered, 
and  where  mercy's  prochimation  can  never  be  heard. 
God  conk]  break  us.  It  is  an  easy  thing  for  him  to 
destroy  ;  and  more,  he  is  not  only  able,  but  he  has  the 
right  to  do  it  if  lie  wills,  for  we  are  such  worthless 
creatures  through  our  disobedience,  that  we  may  say, 
in  the  words  of  the  hymn — 

"  If  my  soul  were  sent  to  hell, 
Thy  righteous  law  approves  it  well." 

When  we  feel  this,  then  let  us  make  a  proper  use  of 
our  own  consciousness,  not  to  despond  and  faint,  but  to 
arise  and  go  to  our  Father,  so  we  shall  come  to  God  and 
say,  "  Thou  canst  destroy  me ;  Thou  mayest  destroy 
me  justly,  and  I  cannot  resist  thee.  I  cannot  save  my- 
self from  thy  vengeance,  nor  can  I  merit  anything  at 
thy  hand ;  I  am  as  weak  as  water,  and  altogether  as 
perishing  a  thing  as  a  poor  withered  leaf ;  but  wilt  thou 
destroy  me?  1  plead  for  pity.  Oh  I  have  pity  upon 
me  !  O  God,  let  thy  bowels  yearn  towards  me,  and 
show  me  thy  great  compassion !  I  have  heard  tliat 
thou  delightest  in  mercy  ;  and  as  Ben-hadad  of  old, 
with  the  rope  about  his  neck,  sent  in  unto  the  king,  and 
confessed  that  he  deserved  to  die,  so  do  I  confess  ;  and 
as  the  king  forgave  him,  even  so  do  thou  with  me — a 
guilty  culprit  trembling  in  thy  presence  ! 

"  Show  pity,  Lord  ;  O  Lord,  forgive  ; 
Let  a  repenting  rebel  live." 

II.  This  is  also  a  very  pitiful  plea. 

Though  there  is  weakness,  yet  there  is  also  power,  for 
weakness  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  prevalent  plea  with 
those  who  are  strong  and  good.  You  could  not  see  on 
your  road  home  to-night  a  poor  fainting  woman,  and 


A  Frail  Leaf.  85 

pass  her  by,  I  trust.  You  could  not  have  brought  in 
before  your  presence  a  half-starved  child,  that  could  not 
drag  its  weary  limbs  along,  without  feeling  that  you 
must  give  relief.  The  mere  sight  of  weakness  draws 
pity.  As  a  certain  town  was  being  sacked,  one  of  the 
rough  soldiery  is  said  to  have  spared  a  little  child,  be- 
cause it  said,  "  Please,  sir,  don't  kill  me,  I  am  so  little." 
The  rough  warrior  felt  the  cogency  of  the  plea.  You 
may  yourselves  just  plead  thus  with  God.  ''  O  God,  do 
not  destroy  me  !  I  deserve  it,  but  oh,  T  am  so  little  ! 
Turn  thy  power  upon  some  great  thing,  and  let  thy 
bowels  move  with  compassion  towards  me  !" 

The  plea  gathers  force  when  the  weakness  is  confessed. 
If  a  man  shall  have  done  you  some  wrong,  and  shall 
come  and  acknowledge  it,  and  bow  down  before  you  and 
confess  it,  why,  then  you  feel  that  you  cannot  take  him 
by  the  throat,  but  you  say,  "  Rise,  I  have  forgiven 
thee  !  "  When  weakness  appeals  to  strength  for  protec- 
tion, and  confession  of  guilt  is  relied  on  as  an  argu- 
ment for  mercy,  those  who  are  good  and  strong  are 
pretty  sure  to  be  moved  with  compassion. 

But,  best  of  all,  going  from  the  positive  to  the  com- 
parative, and  from  the  comparative  to  the  superlative, 
ho7v  a  profession  of  loeakness  touches  your  heart  when  it 
comes  from  your  child.  If  your  child  has  been  chastised, 
and  has  confessed  his  wrong,  and  pleads  with  you,  how 
you  stay  your  hand  !  Or,  if  the  child  be  sick,  and  some- 
thing be  done  to  it  which  pains  it,  if  while  the  operation 
is  being  performed  he  should  look  you  in  the  face,  and 
say,  "  Father,  spare  thy  child  ;  I  can  bear  no  more !  " 
you  have  already  felt  more  than  you  can  make  him 
feel ;  forthwith  your  own  tears  blind  you,  and  you  stay 


86  Types  and  Emblems. 

your  hand.  "  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  even 
so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him."  If  you  have 
faith  to  bring  your  weakness  before  God  with  the  sense 
of  a  child  towards  him,  you  surely  must  prevail.  Come, 
then,  you  timid  trembling  children  of  your  Father  who 
is  in  heaven,  use  this  plea — "  Wilt  thou  break  a  leaf 
that  is  driven  to  and  fro  ?" 

III.    This  PLEA  IS  RIGHTLY  ADDRESSED. 

It  is  addressed  to  God.  As  I  thought  it  over,  it 
seemed  to  me  as  if  I  could  use  it  to  each  Person  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity  in  Unity.  Looking  up  to  the  great 
Father  of  our  spirits^  from  whom  every  good  and  per- 
fect gift  Cometh  down,  it  seemed  to  me  that  out  of 
weakness  I  could  say  to  Him, '  Wilt  thoic^  whose  name 
is  Father,  wilt  thou  break  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and 
fro  ?  Thou  art  the  God  that  made  us ;  wilt  thou  utterly 
destroy  the  earthen  vessel  which  thou  hast  fashioned 
on  the  wheel  ?  Thy  name  is  '  Preserver  of  men  ; '  wilt 
Moi^  annihilate  us,  and  break  us  into  shivers?  Hast 
thou  not  revealed  thyself  as  delighting  in  mercy  ?  Art 
thou  not  the  '  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gracious,  pass- 
ing by  iniquity,  transgression,  and  sin'?  Hast  thou 
not  said,  '  Come,  now,  and  let  us  reason  together ; 
though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet  they  shall  be  as  wool ; 
though  they  be  red  as  crimson  they  shall  be  whiter 
than  snow  ? '  O  God  the  Father  of  heaven,  wilt  thou 
break  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro  ? " 

And  then,  I  thought  I  could  address  myself  to  the 
hlessed  Son  of  God,  who  is  also  our  brother  in  human 
flesh,  and  say  to  him.  Wilt  thou  break — O  thou  "faith- 
ful High  Priest,  touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirm- 
ities"— '-'  bone  of  our  bone,  and  ilcsh  of  our  flesh" — 


A  Frail  Leaf.  87 

Brother  of  our  soul,  by  whose  stripes  we  are  healed — 
wilt  thou  break  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro  ?  Nay» 
by  thy  thorn-crowned  head  and  thy  bloody  sweat,  by 
thy  cross  and  passion,  by  thy  wounds  and  thy  death- 
cry,  thou  canst  not,  wilt  not  be  unmerciful  and  unkind. 
Surely,  they  who  in  confidence  turn  to  thee,  and  lay 
hold  upon  thee,  shall  find  that  thy  strength  shall  be 
ready  to  help  ;  for  though  thine  arm  be  strong  to  smite, 
it  is  no  less  strong  to  save. 

Again,  it  comes  across  me  sweetly,  "  O  blessed 
Spirit  !  couldst  thoxh  break  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and 
fro  ?  Thou  art  no  eagle  ;  thou  didst  descend  on  Christ 
in  Jordan  as  a  dove ;  thine  influences  are  soft  and 
soothing.  Thy  name  is '  The  Comforter  '  :  thou  takest 
of  the  things  of  Christ,  not  to  blast  us,  but  to  bless  us 
therewith ;  thou  art  not  a  destroying  Spirit,  but  a 
quickening  Spirit,  not  a  terrifying  but  an  enlivening 
Spirit ;  wilt  thou  break  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro  V 

Yea,  I  address  thee,  thou  Triune  God,  thou  who 
art  so  full  of  mercy,  and  love,  and  grace,  and  truth, 
that  those  who  have  known  thee-  best  have  been  com- 
pelled to  say,  "  Oh,  how  great  is  thy  goodness  which 
thou  hast  laid  up  for  them  that  fear  thee !  Oh,  the 
depths  of  thy  lovingkindness ! "  is  it  possible  that 
thou  canst  cast  away  a  poor,  broken-hearted  trembler, 
a  poor,  fearing,  doubting  one,  who  would  fain  be  saved, 
but  who  trembles  lest  he  should  be  cast  away  ? 

lY.  This   plea  is  backed  up  by   many   cases   of 

SUCCESS. 

We  will  not  give  many,  for  we  have  not  time  ;  but 
there  is  one  case  which  we  may  mention  :  There  was  a 
woman  whose  life  was  exceedingly  sorrowful.  She  was 


8S  Types  and  Emblems. 

an  Eastern  wife,  and  her  husband  had  been  foolish 
enough  to  have  a  second  mistress  in  the  house.  The 
woman  of  whom  we  speak,  a  holy  woman,  a  woman 
of  refined  and  delicate  mind,  a  poetess,  indeed,  of  no 
mean  order — this  poor  woman,  having  no  children, 
was  the  constant  butt  of  her  rival,  whose  sneering 
spiteful  remarks  chafi'ed  and  chafed  her.  Her  adver- 
sary, it  is  said,  "  vexed  her  sore  to  make  her  afraid." 
Though  her  husband  was  exceedingly  kind  to  her,  yet 
as  with  a  sword  that  cut  her  bones  did  she  go  continu- 
ally. She  was  a  woman  of  a  sorrowful  spirit,  her  spirit 
beins:  broken.  Still,  "  she  feared  the  Lord  exceed- 
ingly,"  and  she  went  up  to  God's  house,  and  it  was  in 
God's  house  that  she  received,  what  was  to  her,  per- 
haps, the  greatest  blow  of  her  life.  If  from  her  rival 
that  she  received  the  harshest  word,  it  was  from  the 
High  Priest  of  God  that  she  received  this  hardest  blow. 
As  she  stood  there  praying,  using  no  vocal  sound,  but 
her  lips  moving,  the  High  Priest — an  easy  soul,  who 
had  brought  his  own  family  to  ruin  by  his  easiness — 
little  knowing  her  grief,  told  her  that  she  was  drunken. 
A  woman  to  whom  the  thought  of  such  a  sin  would 
have  been  bitter  as  gall,  it  must  have  smitten  her  as 
with  the  chill  blast  of  death,  that  God's  priest  had 
said  she  was  drunken.  But,  as  you  will  all  remember, 
the  Lord  did  not  break  the  leaf  that  was  driven  to  and 
fro.  To  her  there  came  a  comfortable  proinise.  Ere 
long  that  woman  stood  there  to  sing.  The  mercy  of 
God  had  made  the  barren  woman  to  rejoice,  and  to 
be  the  joyful  mother  of  children.  The  song  of  the 
Virgin  Mary  was  modelled  after  the  song  of  Hannah — 
that  memorable  poem  in  which  she  sang  of  the  Lord 


The  Frail  Leaf.  89 

who  had  iilled  the  hungry  with  good  things,  while  the 
rich  lie  had  sent  empty  away.  In  that  case  the  Lord 
did  not  break  the  leaf  that  was  driven  to  and  fro. 

In  after  years — to  take  an  example  of  another  kind — 
there  was  a  king  who  had  sinned  desperately,  slaying 
God's  servants  with  both  hands.  But  he  was  taken 
captive  by  a  powerful  monarch,  and  was  thrown  into 
prison,  such  a  noisome  prison  that  he  was  among  thorns, 
in  mental  as  well  as  in  material  darkness.  Then, 
troubled  in  spirit,  tossed  to  and  fro,  and  without  power 
to  help  himself,  Manasseh  sought  unto  the  Lord,  and 
he  found  the  Lord  ;  he  prayed  unto  the  Lord,  and  the 
Lord  heard  him.  Out  of  the  low  dungeo.n,  he  did  not 
break  the  leaf  that  was  driven  to  and  fro. 

Take  a  later  case,  in  our  Saviours  time.  The  picture 
of  those  proud  Pharisees  hurrying  into  our  Saviour's 
presence  a  poor  fallen  woman  is  even  now  in  your  mind's 
eye.  Yes,  sirs,  she  was  taken  in  adultery.  There  was 
no  doubt  of  it ;  she  was  "  taken  in  the  very  act,"  and 
there  she  stands — nay,  she  kneels,  all  covered  with 
blushes — before  the  man  who  is  asked  to  judge  her. 
And  3^ou  remember  his  words.  He  never  said  a  word 
to  excuse  her  guilt :  the  Saviour  could  not  and  would 
not  condone  her  shame ;  nor  would  he,  on  the  other 
hand,  lend  himself  to  crush  the  woman  who  had  sinned  ; 
but  he  said — '-Where  are  those  thine  accusers?  Go 
and  sin  no  more  !  "  Let  his  words  come  unto  thee,  poor 
leaf,  driven  to  and  fro !  Oh,  if  there  should  be  such  a 
leaf  as  that  driven  here  to-night,  driven  in,  perhaps, 
by  stress  of  weather !  Men  despise  you ;  from  your 
own  sex  you  get  faint  pity ;  but,  Jesus,  when  thou 


90  Types  and  Eiiiblems. 

art  appealed  to,  thou  wilt  not  break  such  a  leaf  that  is 
driven  to  and  fro  ! 

Shall  I  tell  another  story  of  the  woman  who  came 
behind  the  Master  in  the  press,  and  stole  a  cure  by 
touching  his  garment  ?  She  thought  she  would  receive 
a  curse,  but  he  said — "Be  thou  of  good  cheer;  thy 
faith  hath  made  thee  whole  ;  go  in  peace."  It  was 
poor  faith:  it  is  very  like  unbelief;  but  yet  it  was  re- 
warded with  a  rich  acceptance,  for  he  will  not  bi-eak  a 
leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro. 

Y.  Once  more,  my  text  is  a  faint  plea  which 

INVITES    FULL    SUCCOR. 

"  Wilt  thou  break  a  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro  ?  " 
O  Job !  there  is  much  wrapped  up  in  what  thou  hast 
said. 

He  meant  this — "  Instead  of  breaking  it,  thou  wilt 
spare  it ;  thou  wilt  gather  it  up  ;  thou  wilt  give  it  life 
again."  It  is  like  that  text,  "  A  bruised  reed  he  will 
not  break."  Oh,  it  means  more  than  that ;  it  means 
that  he  will  heal  its  bruises.  "  A  smoking  flax  he  will 
not  quench."  That  is  good,  but  it  means  more.  It 
means  that  he  will  stoop  down  to  him,  and  that  with  his 
soft  breath  he  will  blow  that  smoking  flax  into  a  flame  ; 
he  will  not  let  it  go  out ;  he  will  preserve  its  heat,  and 
make  something  more  of  it.  O  you,  who  are  brought 
to  the  very  lowest  of  weakness  !  use  that  weakness  in 
pleading  with  God,  and  he  will  retnrn  unto  you  with 
such  a  fulness  of  blessing  that  you  shall  receive  the  par- 
don of  sin  ;  you  shall  be  accepted  through  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ ;  you  shall  be  dear  to  the  heart  of 
God :  you  shall  be  filled  with  his  Spirit ;  you  shall  be 
blessed  with  all  the  fulness  of  God. 


The  Frail  Leaf.  91 

My  Lord  is  such  a  One  that  if  a  beggar  asks  a 
penny  of  him  he  gives  him  gold,  and  if  you  a^k  only 
for  the  pardon  of  sins,  he  will  give  you  all  the  covenant 
blessing  which  he  has  been  pleased  so  bounteously 
to  provide  for  the  necessities  of  his  people.  Come, 
poor  guilty  one,  needy,  helpless,  broken,  and  bruised. 
Come  thou  by  faith,  and  let  thy  weakness  plead  with 
God  through  Jesus  Christ. 

YI.   We  may  use  this  plea — Many  of   us  who 

HAVE  LONG  KNOWN  THE  SaVIOUR. 

Perhaps  our  faith  has  got  to  be  very  low.  O  Lord, 
wilt  thou  destroy  my  little  faith  ?  I  know  there  is  sin 
in  it.  To  be  so  unbelieving  as  I  am  is  no  little  crime  ; 
but,  Lord,  I  thank  thee  that  I  have  any  faith.  It  is 
weak  and  trembling,  but  it  is  faith  of  thine  own  giving. 
Oh,  break  not  the  poor  leaf  that  is  driven  to  and  fro ! 

It  may  be  your  hope  is  not  very  bright.  You  can- 
not see  the  golden  gates,  though  they  are  very  near. 
"Well,  but  your  hope  shall  not  be  destroyed  because  it 
is  clouded.  You  can  say,  "Lord,  wilt  thou  destroy 
my  hope  because  it  is  dim  ?  "     No,  that  he  will  not ! 

Perhaps  you  are  conscious  that  you  have  not  been 
BO  useful  lately  as  you  once  were,  but  you  may  say, 
"Lord,  wilt  thou  destroy  my  usefulness  because  I 
have  been  laid  aside,  or  have  not  done  what  I  ought 
to  have  done  in  thy  service  ? "  Bring  your  little  graces 
to  Christ  as  the  mothers  brought  their  little  children, 
and  ask  him  to  put  his  hands  upon  them  and  to  bless 
them.  Bring  your  mustard-seed  to  Christ,  and  ask 
him  to  make  it  grow  into  a  tree,  and  he  will  do  it ; 
but  never  think  that  he  will  destroy  you,  or  that  he 
will  destroy  the  w^orks  of  his  own  hand  in  you. 


92  Types  and  Emblems. 

Oh  !  that  I  could  so  preach  as  to  give  the  comfort  to 
you  which  I  felt  in  my  own  soul  while  musing  over 
these  words !  I  wish  that  some  who  feel  how  lost, 
how  empty,  and  how  rained  they  are,  could  now  believe 
in  the  great  and  the  good  heart  of  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Little  do  they  know  how  glad  lie  will  be  to  save  them. 
You  will  be  glad  to  be  saved  ;  but  he  will  be  more  glad 
to  save  you.  You  will  be  thankful  to  sit  at  the  feast; 
but,  of  all  that  come  to  the  banquet,  there  is  no  heart  so 
glad  as  the  heart  of  the  king.  When  the  king  came  in 
to  see  the  guests,  I  know  there  were  gleams  of  joy  in 
his  face  which  were  not  to  be  found  in  the  faces  of  any 
of  the  guests.  He  has  the  joy  of  benevolence.  Per- 
haps you  have  sometimes  felt  a  thrill  of  pleasure  when 
you  have  done  some  good  to  your  poor  fellow-creatures. 
IN'ow,  bethink  ye  what  must  be  the  joy  of  Christ,  the  joy 
of  the  Father,  and  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Spirit — the  joy 
of  doing  good  to  those  who  do  not  deserve  it,  the  joy 
of  bestowing  favors  upon  the  wicked  and  the  unthank- 
ful, the  joy  of  showing  that  he  doeth  good  because  he 
is  good — not  because  you  are  good,  but  because  he  is 
good  ;  thus  the  Lord  God  will  overleap  the  mountains 
of  your  sins  and  your  prejudices,  and  the  rivers  of  your 
iniquities,  that  he  may  come  unto  you  and  display  the 
full  tide  of  his  lovingkindness  and  his  tender  mercy. 

Oh  !  that  some  might  be  now  for  the  first  time 
drawn  to  Jesus,  put  their  trust  in  him,  and  find  par- 
don and  peace. 


Clje  Jdmtt. 


"  And  for  a  helmet,  the  hope  of  salvation." — 1  Thess.  v.  8. 


HE  very  mention  of  a  helmet  may  well  serve  to 

REMIND      EVERY       CHRISTIAN       THAT      HE      IS     A 
SOLDIER. 

I.  If  you  were  not  soldiers,  you  would  not 
need  armor ;  but,  being  soldiers,  you  need  to  be 
clad  from  head  to  foot  in  armor  of  proof.  I  suppose 
every  Christian  knows,  as  a  matter  of  theory,  that  he  is 
a  Christian  soldier,  and  that  he  has  been  enlisted  under 
the  banner  of  the  cross,  to  fight  against  the  powers  of 
darkness  until  he  wins  the  victory.  But,  we  all  need 
to  have'  our  memories  refreshed  upon  this  matter,  for 
soldiering  in  time  of  war,  at  any  rate,  is  not  a  very 
pleasant  occupation,  and  the  flesli  constantly  attempts 
to  give  it  over.  That  "  we  have  no  abiding  city  here  " 
is  a  truth  we  all  admit,  and  yet  the  most  of  us  try  to 
make  the  earth  as  comfortable  to  ourselves  as  if  it 
were  to  be  our  abiding  residence.  We  are  all  soldiers, 
we  know  that ;  but,  still,  too  many  Christians  act  as  if 
they  could  be  the  friends  of  the  world  and  the  friends 
of  God  at  the  same  time.  ]N"ow,  Christian,  recollect 
once  for  all  that  you  are  a  soldier.     Did  you  dream, 


94  Types  and  EmUems. 

joiing  man,  that  as  soon  as  you  were  baptized,  and 
added  to  the  church,  the  conflict  was  all  over  ?  Ah,  it 
was  then  just  beginning.  Like  Caesar,  you  then 
crossed  the  Rubicon,  and  declared  war  against  your 
deadly  enemy.  You  drew  your  sword  then  ;  you  did 
not  sheathe  it.  Your  proper  note  on  joining  the  church 
is  not  one  of  congratulation,  as  though  the  victory  were 
won,  but  one  of  preparation ;  for  now  the  trumpet  sounds, 
and  the  fight  begins.  You  are  a  soldier  at  all  times, 
Christian.  You  ought  to  sit  even  at  your  table  as  a 
soldier  sits,  and  you  should  go  out,  especially  into  the 
world,  as  a  soldier  goes  out.  !N'ever  take  off  your  armor, 
for  if  you  do,  in  some  unguarded  moment  you  may 
meet  with  serious  wounds.  But,  keep  your  armor  ever 
about  you,  and  be  watchful,  for  you  are  always  in  the 
midst  of  enemies  wherever  you  may  be.  Even  when  the 
persons  who  surround  you  are  your  friends,  there  are 
still  evil  spirits  unseen  of  men  who  watch  for  your  halt- 
ing. You  must  not  put  up  your  sword,  for  you  are  to 
wrestle  against  principalities,  and  powers,  and  spiritual 
wickedness  in  high  places  ;  against  these  3'ou  must  ever 
be  on  the  watch.  You  are  a  soldier,  man ;  remember  that. 
Nor  are  you  a  soldier  in  barrracks,  or  at  home,  but 
you  are  a  soldier  in  an  enemy^s  country.  Your  place 
is  either  in  the  trenches  or  else  in  the  thick  of  the  bat- 
tle. You  who  are  sick  are  like  soldiers  in  the  trenches. 
You  are  patiently  hoping  and  quietly  waiting,  as  it 
were,  upon  the  ramparts,  looking  for  the  time  to  come. 
But,  others  of  you,  out  in  business  and  engaged  in  the 
concerns  of  life,  are  like  soldiers  marching  in  long  file 
to  the  conflict,  like  the  horsemen  dashing  on  to  the 
front  of  the  battle.     More  or  less,  according  to  your 


The  Helmet,  95 

circumstances,  you  are  all  exposed  to  the  foe,  and  that 
at  every  period  of  life. 

Where  are  you,  let  me  ask,  but  in  the  country  of  an 
enemy  who  never  gives  any  quarter  ?  If  you  fall,  it  is 
death.  The  world  never  forgives  the  Christian ;  it 
hates  him  with  a  perfect  hatred,  and  it  longs  to  do  him 
ill.  Only  let  the  world  see  you  commit  half  a  trip,  and 
they  will  soon  report  and  magnify  it.  What  might  be 
done  by  other  men  without  observation,  if  it  were  done 
by  a  Christian,  would  be  noticed,  reported,  and  mis- 
represented. The  world  understands  that  you  are  its 
natural  antagonist.  Satan  perceives  in  you  a  represent- 
ative of  his  old  enemy  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  you  may  rest 
assured  that  he  will  never  give  you  quarter  if  once  he 
gets  an  opportunity  of  destroying  you.  Mind  the  ene- 
my, mind  the  enemy,  for  he  is  one  of  a  malicious  spirit. 

You  have  to  fight  with  one  too  v:)ho  never  yet  made 
a  truce.  Yoxh  may  come  to  terms  and  parley,  but  the 
powers  of  evil  never  do.  You  may  hang  out  the  white 
flag  if  you  like.  The  foe  may  seem  for  a  time  as 
though  he  gave  you  credit,  but  do  you  never  give  your 
foe  any  credit.  He  hates  you  when  he  seems  to  love 
you  best.  ''  Dread  the  Greeks,  even  when  they  bring 
you  gifts,"  said  the  tradition  of  old ;  and  let  the  Chris- 
tian dread  the  world  most  when  it  puts  on  its  softest 
speeches.  Stand,  then,  upon  your  guard,  ye  warriors 
of  the  cross  ;  when  least  you  fear,  the  cringing  foe  will 
come  behind  you,  and  stab  you,  under  the  pretence  of 
friendship.  Your  Master  was  betrayed  with  a  kiss, 
and  so  will  you  be,  unless  you  watch  unto  prayer. 

You  have  to  do  with  an  enemy  loho  never  can  make 
any  peace  with  you^  nor  can  you  ever  make  any  peace 


96  Ty^pes  and  Emblems. 

with  Mm.  If  YOU  become  at  peace  with  sin,  sin  has 
conquered  you  ;  and  it  is  impossible,  unless  you  give 
up  the  fight,  and  yield  your  neck  to  everlasting  thral- 
dom, that  there  should  ever  be  peace  for  so  much  as  a 
moment.  O  Christian,  see  how  guarded  you  ought  to 
be.  How  needful  to  be  clothed  with  your  armor! 
How  needful  to  have  it  of  the  right  kind,  to  keep  it 
bright,  and  to  wear  it  constantly  !  You  are  a  soldier, 
a  soldier  in  battle,  a  soldier  in  the  foeman's  country,  a 
soldier  with  a  cruel  and  malicious  enemy,  who  knows 
neither  truce  nor  parley,  and  who  gives  no  quarter, 
but  will  fight  with  you  till  you  die.  Heaven  is  the 
land  where  your  sword  should  be  sheathed  ;  there 
shall  you  hang  the  banner  high,  but  here  we  wrestle 
with  the  foe,  and  must  do  so  till  we  cross  the  torrent 
of  death.  Eight  up  to  the  river's  edge  must  the  con- 
flict be  waged.  Foot  by  foot,  and  inch  by  inch,  must 
all  the  land  to  Canaan's  happy  shore  be  won.  Xot  a 
step  can  be  taken  without  conflict  and  strife ;  but,  once 
there,  you  may  lay  aside  your  helmet,  and  put  on  your 
crown;  put  away  your  sword,  and  take  your  palm- 
branch  ;  your  fingers  shall  no  longer  need  to  learn 
to  war,  but  your  hearts  shall  learn  the  music  of  the 
happy  songsters  in  the  skies.  This  then  is  the  first 
thought — you  are  a  soldier. 

II.  The  second  thought  is  this — bein'g  a    soldiee 

LOOK   to  TOUK  head. 

Soldiers,  look  to  your  heads.  A  wound  in  the  head 
is  a  serious  matter.  The  head  being  a  vital  part,  we 
need  to  be  well  protected  there.  The  heart  needs  to 
be  guarded  with  the  breastplate,  but  the  head  needs  to 
be  protected  quite  as  much  ;  for  even  if  a  man  should 


The  Helmet.  97 

be  true-hearted,  jet,  if  a  shot  should  go  through  his 
brain,  he  would  not  be  worth  much  as  a  soldier ;  his 
body  would  strew  the  plain.  The  head  must  be  taken 
care  of.  A  great  many  Christian  people  never  trouble 
themselves  about  defending  their  heads  at  all.  If  they 
get  their  hearts  warmed  by  their  religion  they  think 
that  quite  enough.  Well ;  give  me  above  everything 
else  a  good  warm  heart;  but,  oh,  do  have  that  warm 
heart  coupled  with  a  head  that  is  well  taken  care  of. 
Do  you  know  that  with  a  hot  head  and  a  hot  heart 
together  you  may  do  a  deal  of  mischief,  but  with  a  hot 
heart  and  a  cool  brain  you  may  do  a  world  of  service 
to  the  Master.  Have  right  doctrine  in  the  head,  and 
then  set  the  soul  on  fire,  and  you  will  soon  win  the 
world.  There  is  no  standing  in  that  man's  way  whose 
head  and  heart  are  both  right,  but  to  neglect  the  head 
has  been  a  serious  mischief  with  many  Christians.  They 
have  been  almost  powerless  for  usefulness  because  they 
"have  not  taken  care  of  their  brains.  Though  they  have 
got  to  heaven,  they  have  not  gained  many  victories  on 
the  road,  because  their  brains  have  been  out  of  order. 
They  have  never  been  able  clearly  to  understand  the 
doctrines ;  they  have  riot  been  able  to  give  a  reason  for 
the  hope  that  is  in  them  ;  they  have  not,  in  fact,  looked 
well  to  the  helmet  which  was  to  cover  their  heads. 

The  text  refers  us  to  our  head  because  it  speaks  of  a 
helmet,  and  a  helmet  is  of  no  use  to  any  part  except, 
the  head.  Among  other  reasons  why  we  should  pre- 
serve the  head  in  the  day  of  battle,  let  us  give  these. 
The  head  is  peculiarly  liable  to  the  temptations  of 
Satan,  of  self,  and  of  tame.  It  is  not  easy,  you  know, 
to  stand  on  a  high  pinnacle  without  the  brain  beginning 


98  Types  and  Emblems. 

to  reel ;  and  if  God  takes  a  man,  and  puts  him  on  a 
high  pinnacle  of  usefulness,  he  had  need  to  have  his 
head  taken  care  of.  If  a  brother  is  possessed  of  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  wealth,  there  is  great  danger  to 
his  soul  by  reason  of  his  possessions,  unless  he  have  a 
wealth  of  grace  as  well  as  a  wealth  of  gold.  If  a  man  is 
well  reported  of,  though  his  sphere  may  not  be  very 
large,  yet,  if  everybody  praised  him,  he  also  will  need  to 
have  his  head  well  protected,  for  a  little  praise  would 
soon  make  him  giddy.  The  clapping  of  hands  of  fools 
would  be  enough  for  a  fool  to  pique  himself  on.  The 
fining-pot  for  silver,  and  praise  for  the  man.  If  a  man 
can  stand  commendation,  he  can  stand  anything.  The 
severest  trial  which  a  zealous  Christian  has  to  bear  is, 
probably,  the  trial  wliich  comes  from  his  kind  but  in- 
considerate friends,  who  would  puff  him  up  if  they  could 
by  telling  him  what  a  fine  fellow  he  is.  If  your  friends 
without  will  not  cheer  you,  you  will  probably  find  a 
friend  within  who  will  flatter  you  to  your  heart's  con- 
tent ;  and,  if  you  should  forget  to  ask  for  your  meed,  the 
devil  will  remind  3^ou  that  it  is  your  due.  "What  a 
capital  sermon  you  gave  us  this  morning,  Mr.  Bunyan," 
said  a  friend,  where  John  had  been  preaching.  "You 
are  too  late,"  said  Bunyan,  "  tlie  devil  told  me  that  before 
I  came  out  of  the  pulpit."  Yes,  and  he  will  be  sure  to 
do  so  ;  and  hence  the  need  of  having  a  helmet  to  put  on 
the  head,  that  when  you  are  successful,  and  getting  on 
in  life,  and  friends  are  speaking  well  of  you,  you  may 
not  get  intoxicated  with  it.  Oh,  to  have  a  good,  cool 
helmet  to  put  on  your  brain  when  it  begins  to  get  a 
little  hot  with  praise,  so  that  you  may  still  stand  fast, 
and  not  be  borne  down  by  vanity.     O  Vanity,  Vanity, 


The  Helmet.  99 

Yanit}',  how  many  hast  thou  slain  !  How  many  who 
seemed  upon  the  very  brink  of  greatness  have  stumbled 
upon  this  stumbling  stone  !  Men  who  seemed  as  though 
they  would  enter  heaven,  but  a  little  bit  of  honor,  some 
glittering  bribe,  a  golden  boon,  has  turned  them  aside, 
and  they  fell.     Take  care  of  you  heads,  brethren. 

And  is  not  the  head  liaUe  to  attacks  from  scepticism  ? 
People  who  have  no  brains  are  not  often  troubled  with 
doubts,  but  people  who  have  brains  have  probably  felt 
that,  whether  they  resolved  to  use  them  or  not,  their 
brains  would  use  themselves.  It  was  very  good  of  our 
good  fathers  to  tell  us  not  to  read  dangerous  books, 
very  good  of  them  indeed ;  but,  we  do  read  them,  for 
all  that ;  and,  though  we  tell  the  young  folks  sometimes 
not  to  read  this  and  that  heretical  treatise,  and  we  wish 
they  would  take  our  advice,  yet,  somehow  or  other, 
they  do  get  hold  of  such  things,  and  will  ponder  them. 
Brethren,  I  do  believe  that,  in  such  times  as  these, 
when  everything  is  so  free,  and  when  discussion  is  so 
common,  we  must  expect  that  our  young  fellows  will 
look  at  a  great  many  things  which  they  had  better 
leave  alone,  and  their  heads  will  be  endangered  thereby, 
for  the  ballets  of  scepticism  threaten  to  go  right  through 
their  brains.  Well,  what  then  ?  As  we  cannot  take 
Christians  out  of  the  wa}^  of  the  bullets,  we  should  give 
them  a  helmet  to  preserve  them  therefrom.  He  who 
has  a  hope  of  salvation — a  good  hope  that  he  is  himself 
saved,  a  hope  that  he  shall  see  the  face  of  Christ  with 
joy  at  last — is  not  afraid  of  any  of  the  paltry  quibbles 
of  scepticism.  He  may  hear  them  all,  and  for  a  moment 
be  staggered  by  them,  as  a  soldier  might  be  who  had  a 
sudden  shock  or  even  a  wound,  but  after  a  little  while 


JQO  Types  and  Ernblems, 

he  recovers  himself,  and  feels  sound  enough  to  enter 
into  the  conflict  as^ain.  Thus  the  Christian  in  armor 
proof  can  say — 

"  Should  all  the  forms  that  men  devise 
Assault  my  faith  with  treacherous  art ; 
I'd  call  them  vanities  and  lies. 
And  bind  the  gospel  to  my  heart." 

It  has  been  very  well  observed  that  a  man  is  not  often 
a  very  thorough  democrat  after  he  gets  a  little  money  in 
the  savings  bank.  Well,  I  think  it  is  very  likely,  so 
soon  as  a  man  gets  a  little  stake  in  his  country's  welfare, 
he  begins  to  be  just  to  the  merest  extent  conservative. 
And,  no  sooner  does  a  man  get  a  stake  in  Christianity, 
and  feel,  that  he  has  got  salvation  in  Jesus  Christ,  than 
he  gets  to  be  verj^  very  conservative  of  the  old-fash- 
ioned truth.  He  cannot  give  up  the  Bible  then,  because 
it  is  a  broad  land  of  wealth  to  him.  He  cannot  give 
up  Christ,  for  he  is  his  Saviour,  his  salvation.  He 
cannot  give  up  a  single  promise,  because  that  promise 
is  so  dear  to  his  own  soul.  The  helmet  of  salvation, 
then,  will  preserve  the  head  in  times  of  scepticism. 

The  head,  again,  is  very  greatly  in  dangery>6>m  the 
attacks  of  personal  unhelief.  Who  among  us  has  not 
doubted  his  own  interest  in  Christ  ?  Happy  for  you  who 
are  free  from  such  distractions.  But,  there  are  seasons 
with  some  of  us  when  we  turn  our  title-deeds  over,  and 
we  are  sometimes  afraid  lest  they  should  not  be  gen- 
uine. There  are  times  when,  if  we  could,  we  would  give 
a  world  to  know  that  we  are  Christ's,  for  we  cannot 

"  Read  our  title  clear 
To  mansions  in  the  skies." 

Well,  beloved,  this  is  very  dangerous  to  our  heads; 


The  EelmeL  101 

but  the  mail  who  has  got  the  helmet  of  a  right,  sound, 
God-given  hope  of  salvation,  who  has  received  from 
God  the  Holy  Spirit  such  a  helmet  as  I  am  going  to 
describe  by-and-by,  may  be  of  good  cheer.  These 
doubts  and  fears  may  distress  him  for  a  little  while, 
but  he  knows  the  precautions  advised  for  his  safeguard, 
as  he  is  neither  timid  nor  rash.  In  the  midst  of 
Satan's  accusations,  the  uprising  of  his  old  corruptions, 
the  infirmities  of  the  flesh,  and  the  allurements  of  the 
world,  he  stands  calm  and  unmoved,  because  he  wears 
as  a  helmet  the  hope  of  salvation. 

JSTor  are  these  all  the  dangers  to  which  the  head  is 
exposed.  Some  persons  ai^e  attaclied  hy  threatenings 
from  the  world.  The  world  brings  down  its  double- 
handled  sword  with  a  tremendous  blow  upon  the  heads 
of  many  Christians.  "  You  will  suifer  the  loss  of  all 
things  for  Christ  if  you  are  such  a  fanatic  as  to  believe 
the  Bible  and  consort  with  the  saints.  You  will  be 
poor  yourself,  your  children  will  want  bread,  your  wife 
will  be  worse  than  a  widow,  if  you  are  such  a  fool." 
"  Ah,"  says  the  Christian,  "  but  I  have  a  hope  of  salva- 
tion." So  the  blow,  when  it  comes,  does  not  go  through 
his  head,  but  just  falls  on  the  helmet^  and  the  world's 
sword  gets  blunted.  "  I  can  afford  to  be  poor,"  said 
Dr.  Gill,  when  one  of  his  subscribers  threatened  to 
give  up  his  seat,  and  would  not  attend,  if  the  doctor 
preached  such-and-such  a  doctrine.  So  says  the  Chris- 
tian, "  I  can  afford  to  be  poor;  I  can  afford  to  be  de- 
spised ;  I  have  in  heaven  a  better  and  more  enduring 
substance."  So,  by  the  use  of  this  blessed  helmet,  he 
is  protected  from  the  threatenings  of  the  world. 

We  want  our  young  people  to  wear  this  helmet,  too, 


102  Types  and  Emblems. 

hecanse  of  the  error's  of  the  times.''''  The  errors  of  tlie 
times  are  many.  What  with  scepticism,  and  with  super- 
stition, they  are  tempted  on  the  one  side  and  on  the 
other.  This  and  that  new  book  or  old  fable  is  cried  np. 
*'  Lo  here,"  and  "  Lo  there.''  By  unscrupulous  authors 
and  by  designing  priests  there  will  be  many  misled 
who  are  not  the  people  of  God.  "  If  it  were  possible, 
they  would  deceive  the  very  elect."  But  the  elect  are 
not  to  be  deceived.  Their  heads  are  not  vulnerable  to 
these  errors,  for  they  wear  the  hope  of  salvation,  and 
they  are  not  afraid  of  all  the  "isms"  or  schisms  that 
aggrieve  the  professor  and  aggravate  the  profane. 
The  man  knows  he  is  saved.  Once  get  to  know  Christ 
personally  for  yourselves,  to  believe  that  he  loved  you 
and  gave  himself  for  you,  and  to  rejoice  that  you  are 
forgiven  and  justified  through  him,  then,  though  the 
world  will  count  you  stupid  and  obstinate,  you  will 
stand  firm,  and  be  able  to  resist  all  its  sarcasm  and  its 
ridicule.  He  who  has  made  a  refuge  of  Jesus  Christ 
will  stand  safe  whatever  errors  may  invade  the  land. 

They  tell  us  that  the  Church  of  God  is  in  great  dan- 
ger, because  Popery  will  overspread  the  country. 
Peradventure  it  should ;  that  it  will  overspread  the 
Church  of  God — no;  I  know  far  better  than  that. 
The  Church  of  God  can  never  be  in  danger.  Every 
man  in  whom  is  the  life  of  God  would  be  as  ready  to 
•  die  to-morrow  for  the  truth  as  our  forefathers  w^ere  in 
the  Marian  days.  Rest  assured  there  would  be  found 
men  to  stand  at  the  burning  faggot  still  if  the  times 
required  tliem,  and  our  prisons  would  not  long  be 
without  heavenly-minded  tenants  of  the  truth  needed 
to  be  defended  by  suffering,  even  unto  death.     There 


The  Helmet.  103 

is  danger,  great  danger  ;  there  neA^er  was  such  danger 
in  modern  times  of  Popery  overspreading  the  land  as 
now.  But  there  is  no  danger  to  the  man  who  has  his 
helmet  on.  Let  the  arrows  fly  thick  as  hail,  and  let 
the  foes  have  all  the  political  power  that  they  can, 
and  all  \\iq jprestige  of  antiquity  that  they  may ;  a  little 
phalanx  of  true-hearted  Christians  will  still  stand  their 
ground  in  the  very  centre  of  the  onslaught,  and  cut 
their  way  to  glory  and  to  victory  through  whole  hosts, 
because  their  heads  are  guarded  with  the  heavenly 
helmet  of  the  hope  of  salvation.  Soldiers  of  Christ, 
take  care  of  your  heads. 

III.  God  has  provided  a  covering  for  your  heads, 
let  us  therefore  now  consider  the  helmet  with  which 
He  would  have  youk  heads  protected. 

*'  The  hope  of  salvation  !  "  This  is  not  the  hope  we 
sometimes  speak  about,  the  hope  that  salvation  is 
possible  which  may  encourage  every  sinner  to  knock, 
to  seek,  to  ask — yea,  to  pray  importunately  for  mercy. 
This  helmet  is  made  up  of  an  actual  hope  that,  being 
already  saved  in  Christ  Jesus,  you  should  abide  unto 
eternal  life.  It  is  a  personal  hope,  founded  upon  per- 
sonal conviction,  and  is  wrought  in  us  by  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

To  begin,  then,  describing  this  helmet.  Who  is  its 
giver  ?  You  ask  our  friend  the  soldier  where  he  gets 
his  regimentals  from,  and  he  answers  that  he  gets 
them  from  the  government  stores.  He  gets  his  regi- 
mentals from  Her  Majesty,  and  from  the  monarch 
himself  we  must  get  our  helmets.  If  any  of  you  con- 
struct helmets  of  hope  for  yourselves,  they  will  be  of 
no  use  to  you  in  the  day  of  battle.     The  true  helmet 


KM  Types  and  Emhlems, 

of  hope  must  come  from  the  heavenly  arsenal.  You 
must  go  to  the  Divine  store-house,  for  unto  God  be- 
longeth  salvation,  and  the  hope  of  salvation  must  be 
given  to  you  by  his  free  grace.  A  hope  of  salvation 
is  not  purchasable.  Our  great  King  does  not  sell  his 
armor,  but  gives  it  freely  to  all  who  enlist.  They 
take  the  bounty  and  accept  the  faith.  They  trust 
Christ,  and  they  are  enlisted,  then  the  armor  is  given 
them  gratis.  From  head  to  foot  they  are  arrayed 
by  grace.  , 

Do  you  ask,  who  is  maker  of  this  helmet  ?  Weap- 
ons are  valued  often  according  to  the  maker.  A  known 
maker  gets  his  own  price  for  his  articles.  Armorers 
of  old  took  much  trouble  with  the  ancient  helmets, 
because  a  man's  life  might  depend  upon  that  valuable 
means  of  defence.  So  we  have  here  the  name  of  God 
the  Holy  Ghost  upon  this  helmet.  A  hope  of  salvation 
is  the  work  of  God  the  Holy  Spirit  in  our  soul.  It  is 
the  Spirit  who  brings  us  to  Jesus,  shows  us  our  need  of 
him,  and  gives  us  faith  in  him  ;  and  it  is  that  same 
Spirit  who  enables  us  to  hope  that  we  shall  endure  to 
the  end,  and  enter  into  eternal  life.  Be  not  satisfied 
with  a  hope  that  is  natural,  but  have  a  hope  that  is 
supernatural.  Rest  not  satisfied  with  that  which  is 
made  in  the  workshop  of  nature ;  go  not  to  those  who 
buy  and  sell  for  themselves,  but  go  to  the  blessed 
Spii'it,  who  giveth  freely,  and  upbraideth  not. 

Would  you  inquire  further,  of  lohat  metal  this  helmet 
is  made  ?  It  is  made  of  hope,  we  are  told  ;  but  it  is 
of  the  utmost  consequence  that  it  be  a  good  hope.  Be- 
ware of  getting  a  base  hope,  a  helmet  made  of  paltry 
metal.     There  were  some  helmets  they  used  to  wear  in 


The  Helm-eL  105 

the  olden  times  which  looked  very  well,  but  they  were 
of  no  more  use  than  brown  paper  hats  ;  and  when  a  sol- 
dier got  into  a  light  with  one  of  these  on,  the  sword 
went  through  his  skull.  Get  a  good  helmet,  one  made 
of  the  right  metal.  This  is  what  a  Christian's  hope 
is  made  of — he  believes  that  Christ  came  into  the  world, 
to  save  sinners;  he  trusts  Christ  to  save  him  ;  and  he 
hopes  that  when  Christ  comes  he  shall  reign  with  him  ; 
that  when  the  trumpet  sounds  he  shall  rise  with  Christ, 
and  that  in  heaven  he  shall  have  a  secure  dwelling- 
place  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father.  This  hope  is 
made  up  of  proper  and  fitting  deductions  from  certain 
truthful  statements.  That  Christ  died  for  sinners  is 
true  ;  that  he  died  to  save  all  who  trust  in  him  is  true ; 
that  I  trust  in  him  is  true  ;  therefore,  that  I  am  saved 
is  true ;  and,  being  saved,  that  I  shall  inherit  all  his 
promises  is  a  matter  of  course.  Some  people  have  a 
hope,  but  they  do  not  know  where  they  get  it  from,  nor 
do  they  know  a  reason  for  it.  "When  people  die,  you 
hear  it  said  of  one  and  another,  "  I  hope  he  is  gone  to 
heaven."  "Well,  I  wish  he  may  have  gone  ;  but  I  dare 
not  say  of  some  that  I  hope  so,  because  hope  must  have 
a  reason.  An  anchor  is  of  no  use  without  its  fluke.  It 
must  be  able  to  hold  fast.  It  must  have— at  any  rate, 
the  modern  anchor  must  have — some  weight  about  it 
with  which  it  can  hold  to  the  bottom.  Hope  must  have 
its  fluke,  too  ;  it  must  have  its  reason  ;  it  must  have  its 
weight.  "When  I  say  I  hope  so-and-so,  I  am  foolish  for 
hoping  it,  if  I  have  not  a  reason  for  hoping.  If  you 
were  to  say  you  hoped  the  person  sitting  next  you  would 
give  you  a  thousand  pounds,  it  would  be  a  most  absurd 
hope.  You  may  wish  it  if  you  like,  but  what  ground 
6* 


106  Types  and  Emhleras, 

have  you  for  the  hope  ?  But  if  somebody  owes  you  a 
thousand  pounds,  and  you  have  his  acknowledgment 
of  the  debt,  you  may  then  very  well  say  that  you  hope  it 
will  be  paid,  for  you  have  a  legitimate  right  to  expect 
it.  Such  is  the  Christian's  hope.  God  has  promised  to 
save  those  who  believe.  Lord,  I  believe  it ;  thou  hast 
promised  to  save  me,  and  I  hope  thou  wilt,  I  know 
thou  wilt.  The  Christian's  hope  hope  is  not  a  fancy, 
not  a  silly  desire.  It  did  not  spring  up  in  the  night 
like  Jonah's  gourd,  nor  will  it  wither  in  a  night.  The 
Christian's  hope  is  something  that  will  bear  a  hard  blow 
from  a  heavy  club,  or  a  smart  cut  from  a  sharp  sword. 
It  is  made  of  good  metal.  John  Bun^-an  said  of  a  cer- 
tain sword  that  it  was  **  a  true  Jerusalem  blade,"  and 
I  ma}^  call  this  a  true  Jerusalem  helmet,  for  he  that 
wears  is  need  not  fear. 

Having  shown  the  metal  of  which  the  nelmet  is  made, 
let  me  now  describe  the  strength  of  the  helmet.  It 
is  so  strong,  that  under  all  sorts  of  assaults,  he  who 
wears  it  is  invulnerable.  Recollect  David,  when  pressed 
with  the  troubles  of  the  world  on  every  side.  His 
enemies  thought  they  had  certainly  ruined  him.  He 
himself  half  thought  he  should  die,  and  he  tells  us  tliat 
he  should  have  fainted.  And  likely  enough  he  would, 
only  he  had  a  bottle  of  cordial  with  him  of  which  faith 
w^as  the  main  ingredient.  He  says,"/  had  fainted 
unless  I  had  helieved^  But,  just  at  the  time  when  he 
thought  he  would  faint  and  die,  he  revived.  Suddenly 
the  old  hero  that  slew  Goliath,  made  all  his  enemies 
fly  before  him  as  he  cried,  "Why  art  thou  cast  down, 
O  my  soul,  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me  ? 
Hope  thou  in  God."     And  he  laid  about  him  right  and 


The  Helmet.  107 

left,  as  he  should.  "  I  shall  yet  praise  him  who  is  tlie 
health  of  my  countenance  and  my  God."  "  Hope  thou 
in  God,"  Christian.  Oh,  that  blessed  word  Hope! 
You  know  what  the  New  Zealanders  call  hope ;  they 
call  it  in  their  language  "  the  swimming  thought," 
because  it  always  floats  and  never  sinks.  You  cannot 
drown  it;  it  always  keeps  its  head  above  the  wave. 
When  you  think  you  have  drowned  the  Christian's 
hope,  up  it  comes  all  dripping  from  the  brine,  and  cries 
again, ''  Hope  thou  in  God,  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him  !  " 
Hope  is  the  nightingale  that  sings  in  the  night ;  faith 
is  the  lark  that  mounts  up  towards  heaven  ;  but  hope 
is  the  nightingale  that  cheers  the  valley  in  the  dark- 
ness. O  Christian,  be  thankful  that  you  have  so  strong 
a  helmet  as  this,  which  can  bear  all  assaults,  and  can 
keep  you  unscathed  in  the  midst  of  the  fray ! 

This  hope  of  salvation  is  a  helmet  which  will  not 
come  off.  It  is  of  main  importance,  you  know,  to  have 
a  helmet  that  cannot  be  knocked  off  in  the  first  scrim- 
mage. That  is  why  our  policemen  are  dressed  differ- 
ently from  what  they  used  to  be,  because  their  hats 
used  to  get  knocked  off.  So  it  is  with  a  commonplace 
hope,  it  fails  him  in  an  extremity ;  but  the  Christian 
wears  a  helmet  that  he  cannot  get  off  anyhow\  There 
was  once  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ — a  woman — 
some  women  are  among  the  best  soldiers  of  Christ ; 
his  true  Amazons.  This  good  woman  had  been  much 
harassed  by  a  sceptical  person;  and  when  very  nmcli 
confused  with  some  of  his  knotty  questions,  she  turned 
round  and  said,  '*  I  cannot  answer  you,  sir,  but  neither 
can  you  answer  me,  for  I  have  a  something  within  me 
that  you  cannot  understand,  which  makes  me  feel  that 


lOS  Types  and  Emblems. 

I  could  not  give  up  what  I  know  of  Christ  for  all  the 
world."  The  world  can  neither  give  nor  take  awaj 
the  hope  of  a  Christian.  It  comes  from  God,  and  he 
will  never  withdraw  it,  for  his  gifts  and  calling  are 
without  repentance.  Once  let  this  helmet  be  put  on, 
and  he  will  never  remove  it,  but  we  shall  hope  on  and 
hope  ever,  until  we  shall  end  these  struggles,  see  his 
face,  and  reap  his  promises. 

I  should  like  to  go  round  amongst  this  regiment,  as 
the  commanding  officers  sometimes  do,  to  have  a  look 
at  you.  The  helmet  is  an  old-fashioned  kind  of  armor. 
In  old  days,  the  lieutenants  and  other  officers,  when 
they  went  round  the  regiment,  used  to  look,  not  only 
to  see  that  the  men  had  their  helmets,  but  to  see  that 
they  had  oiled  them ;  for  in  those  times  they  used  to 
oil  their  helmets  to  make  them  shine,  and  to  keep  the 
various  joints  and  buckles  in  good  order.  Xo  rust 
was  ever  allowed  on  the  helmets,  and  it  is  said  that 
when  the  soldiers  marched  out,  with  their  brazen 
helmets  and  their  white  plumes,  they  shone  most  bril- 
liantly in  the  sun.  David  speaks,  you  know,  of  "  anoint- 
ing the  shield."  lie  vvas  speaking  of  a  brazen  shield 
which  had  to  be  anointed  with  oil.  Kow,  when  God 
anoints  his  people's  hope,  w^hen  he  gives  them  the  oil 
of  joy,  their  hope  begins  to  shine  bright  in  the  light 
of  the  Saviours  countenance,  and  what  a  fine  array  of 
soldiers  they  are  then  !  Satan  trembles  at  the  gleam- 
ing of  their  swords ;  he  cannot  endure  to  look  upon 
their  helmets.  But  some  of  you  do  not  keep  your 
hope  clear  ;  you  do  not  keep  it  bright ;  it  gets  rusty  and 
unfit  for  use,  and  then,  ere  long,  it  gets  to  sit  uncom- 
fortably upon  you,  and  you  get  weary  with  the  fight. 


The  Helmet.  109 

0  Holy  Spirit,  anoint  our  heads  with  fresh  oil,  and  let 
thy  saints  go  forth  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners. 

Do  not  let  it  be  overlooked  that  the  helmet  was  gen- 
erally considered  to  he  a  place  of  honor.  The  man 
put  his  plume  in  his  helmet,  he  wore  his  crest  fre- 
quently there,  and  in  the  thick  of  the  fight  the  captain's 
plume  was  seen  in  the  midst  of  the  smoke  and  dust  of 
battle,  and  the  men  pressed  to  the  place  where  they  saw 
it.   IN'ow,  the  Christian's  hope  is  his  honor  and  his  glory. 

1  must  not  be  ashamed  of  my  hope  ;  I  must  wear  it  for 
beauty  and  for  dignity,  and  he  who  has  a  right  good 
hope  will  be  a  leader  to  others.  Others  will  see  it,  and 
will  light  with  renewed  courage  ;  and  w^here  he  hew^s  a 
lane  of  foes,  they  will  follow  him,  even  as  he  follows 
his  Lord  and  Master,  who  has  overcome,  and  sits  down 
upon  his  Father's  throne.  I  hope  there  are  many 
Christians  here  w^ho  keep  their  helmets  bright,  and 
that  there  are  many  more  who  desire  to  have  such 
helmets  to  protect  themselves  and  to  grace  their  pro- 
fession. 

lY.  Alas  !  there  are  some  who  have  no  helmets. 
The  reason  is  obvious.     Thej^  are  not  Christ's  soldiers. 

Of  course  the  Lord  Jesus  does  not  provide  anybody 
with  armor  but  those  in  his  own  service.  But  Satan 
knows  how  to  give  you  a  helmet  too.  His  helmets  are 
very  potent  ones.  Though  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  can 
go  right  through  them,  nothing  else  can.  He  can  give, 
and  he  has  given  some  of  you,  a  head-piece  that  covers 
your  entire  skull — a  thick  head-piece  of  indifference  ;  so 
that  no  matter  what  is  preached,  you  heed  it  not. 
"  What  do  I  care?  "  say  you,  and  that  is  your  helmet. 

Then  he  puts  a  piece  in  the  front  of  the  helmet  called 


110  Types  and  EmUems. 

a  brazen,  forehead  and  a  hrow  of  brass.  "  What  do  I 
care  ?  '*  was  your  cry.  He  takes  care  to  fit  the  hehnet 
right  over  your  eyes,  so  that  you  cannot  see;  yea, 
though  hell  itself  be  before  you,  you  do  not  see  it. 
"  What  do  I  care  ?  "  Then,  he  also  knows  how  so  to  fit 
the  helmet  that  it  acts  as  a  gag  to  your  mouth,  so  that 
you  never  pray.  Though  you  can  swear  through  it, 
you  cannot  pray  through  it.  Still  you  keep  to  your 
old  cr}^,  "  What  do  I  care  ?  " 

Ah,  it  is  not  very  likely  that  any  sword  which  I 
wield  will  get  at  your  head!  Arguments  will  not 
move  you,  for  that  is  a  question  that  cannot  very  well 
be  argued — "  What  do  I  care  ?  "  I  pray  God  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  get  at  your  head,  notwithstanding  that  hor- 
rible helmet ;  for,  if  not,  God  has  a  way  of  dealing 
with  such  as  you  are.  When  you  come  to  die,  you 
will  sing  another  song !  When  you  come  to  lie  upon 
a  bed  of  sickness,  and  the  grim  day  of  eternity  is  in 
view,  you  will  not  be  able  to  say  quite  so  gayly  as  you 
do  now,  "  What  do  I  care  ?  "  And,  when  the  trumpet 
rings  through  earth  and  heaven,  and  your  body  starts 
up  from  your  grave,  and  you  see  tlie  great  Judge  upon 
his  throne,  you  will  not  be  able  to  say  then,  "  What 
do  I  care  ? "  Your  head  will  then  he  bare  to  the  piti- 
less tempest  of  divine  wrath.  Bare-headed,  you  must 
be  exposed  to  the  everlasting  storm  that  shall  descend 
upon  you.  And,  when  the  great  angel  binds  you  up 
with  your  fellows  in  bundles  to  burn,  you  will  feel  that 
you  are  not  able  to  say,  "  What  do  I  care  1 "  for  cares 
will  come  upon  you  like  a  wild  deluge,  when  you  are 
banished  from  his  presence,  and  all  hope  is  gone ! 

Oh,  I  would  you  would  take  off  that  helmet !    May 


The  Helmet,  111 

God  grant  yon  grace  to  unbuckle  it  now,  never  to  put 
it  on  again  !  Do  care.  You  are  not  a  fool,  my  friend, 
are  you?  It  is  only  a  fool  who  says,  "What  do  I 
care?"  Surely  you  care  about  your  soul ;  surely  hell 
is  worth  escaping  from ;  surely  heaven  is  worth  win- 
ning ;  surely  that  cross  on  which  our  Saviour  died  is 
worth  thinking  of;  surely  that  poor  soul  of  yours  is 
worth  caring  about !  Do,  I  pray  you,  think,  and  not 
go  hastily  on.  Oh,  may  Jesus  Christ,  who  died  for 
such  as  you  are,  bring  you  to  trust  him ;  and  then, 
unbuckling  all  that  evil  armor  of  "  What  do  I  care  ?  " 
you  will  bow  before  his  cross,  and  kiss  his  hands,  and 
he  will  put  upon  you  the  golden  helmet  of  a  hope  of 
salvation,  and  you  will  rise,  one  of  the  King's  own  sol- 
diers, to  fight  his  battles,  and  win  an  immortal  wreath  of 
everlasting  victory.     May  it  be  so  with  every  one  of  us. 


#nt  Cropljg  for  Cluo  ^fploits. 

'  For  by  thee  I  have  run  through  a  troop  ;  and  by  my  God  have 
I  leaped  over  a  wall." — Psalm  xviii.  29. 


T  sometimes  puzzles  the  unenlightened  believer 
a)il  to  find  that  the  Psalms  often  relate  both  to 
&f^  David  and  to  David's  Lord.  Many  a  young 
believer  has  found  himself  quite  bewildered 
when  Teading  a  psalm  ;  and  he  has  scarcely 
been  able  to  make  out  how  a  passage  should  be  true 
both  of  David  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  "  our 
Superior  King."  This  he  cannot  understand.  But  he 
who  is  grown  in  grace,  and  has  got  far  enough  to 
understand  the  meaning  of  conformity  to  Christ,  sees 
that  it  is  not  without  a  high  and  heavenly  design  that 
the  Holy  Ghost  has  presented  to  us  the  experience  of 
Jesus  in  that  model  of  experience  through  which 
David  passed.  My  dear  brethren,  we  all  know  as  a 
matter  of  doctrine,  but  we  have  not  all  proved  as  a 
matter  of  sweet  experience,  that  we  are  to  be  like  our 
Head.  AVe  must  be  like  him  upon  earth  ;  like  him 
despised  and  rejected  by  men  in  our  generation  :  like 
him  bearers  of  the  cross.  Yea,  we  must  not  shrink  in 
any  way  from  what  is  meant  by  being  crucified  with 
him,  and  buried  with  him,  in  order  that  we  may  know 


One  Trophy  for  Tioo  Exploits.  113 

in  after  days  how  to  rise  with  him,  how  to  ascend  with 
him,  and  how  to  sit  with  him  upon  his  throne.  Nay, 
I  will  go  further;  even  in  this  life  the  believer  is  to 
have  a  conformity  to  Christ  in  his  present  glories,  for 
we  are  even  now  raised  up  together  in  heavenly  places 
in  Christ  Jesus;  in  him  also  we  have  obtained  the 
inheritance,  for  we  are  complete  in  him  who  is  the 
head  of  all  principality  and  power.  There  is  such  a 
conformity  between  Christ  and  his  people  that  every- 
thing that  is  said  of  Christ  may,  in  some  measure,  be 
said  of  his  people.  Whatever  Christ  hath  been,  they 
should  be  or  have  been.  Whatever  he  hath  done,  he 
hath  done  for  them,  and  they  shall  do  the  like,  after 
some  fashion  or  another.  Whatever  he  hath  attained 
unto,  they  shall  also  enjoy.  If  he  reigneth,  they  shall 
reign  ;  and  if  he  be  heir  of  a  universal  monarchy,  they 
shall  also  be  kings  and  priests  unto  God,  and  shall 
reign  for  ever  and  ever.  Thus  the  riddle  becomes 
solved;  the  parable  is  expounded;  the  dark  saying 
that  was  opened  on  David's  harp  shines  clearly  in  gos- 
pel light.  You  can  see  not  only  how  it  is  possible 
that  the  same  psalm  can  relate  to  David  and  David's 
Lord  ;  but  you  can  see  that  there  is  a  divine  mystery, 
and  a  most  rich  and  precious  lesson,  couching  beneath 
the  fact  that  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  chosen  to  set  forth 
the  doings,  the  sufi'erings,  and  the  triumphs  of  Christ, 
under  the  figure  or  model  of  the  doings,  sufferings, 
and  victories  of  the  son  of  Jesse.  You  will  not,  there- 
fore, be  surprised  to  hear  me  remark  that  this  text  hath 
relation  to  Christ  and  the  believer  too.  The  doings 
and  triumphs  of  Jesus  must,  accordingly,  first  engage 
our  attention ;  and,  in  the  second  place,  observe  that 


114r  Types  and  Emhhms. 

we  have  here  a  picture  of  the  wondrous  doings  of  faith, 
when  the  believer  is  enabled  to  triumph  over  every 
earthly  ill,  and  over  every  human  opposition.  *'  By 
thee  I  have  run  through  a  troop ;  and  by  my  God 
have  I  leaped  over  a  wall." 

I.  Let  us  take  the  first  sentence  with  regard  to  Christ. 
"  By  thee  have  1  run  through  a  troop'."  How  accu- 
rately Christ's  enemies  are  here  described,  described  by 
their  number,  they  were  a  troop.  The  Captain  of  our 
salvation,  although  single-handed  in  the  combat,  had  to 
fight  with  a  legion  of  foes.  It  was  not  a  mere  duel.  It 
is  true  there  was  but  one  on  the  victor's  side,  but 
there  was  an  innumerable  host  in  antagonism  to  him. 
Not  only  the  Prince  of  Darkness,  but  all  the  powers 
and  the  principalities  thereof,  came  against  him.  Not 
sin  in  the  mass,  but  sin  in  daily  temptations  of  every 
kind,  and  sin  of  every  shade  and  form.  Not  only  from 
earth  a  host  of  human  despisers  and  human  oppo- 
nents, but  a  yet  greater  host  from  the  lowest  depths  of 
hell.  These,  from  their  number,  are  well  compared 
to  a  troop. 

Nor  does  this  expression  describe  their  number 
merely,  but  also  their  discipline.  They  were  a  troop. 
A  crowd  of  men  is  a  great  number,  but  it  is  not  a  troop. 
A  crowd  may  be  far  sooner  put  to  rout  than  a  troop. 
A  troop  is  a  trained  company  that  knows  how  to  march 
and  marshal  itself,  and  to  stand  firm  under  the  attack. 
It  was  even  so  with  Christ's  enemies.  They  were  a 
crowd  and  a  mob  ;  but  they  were  a  troop  also,  marshal- 
led by  that  skilful  and  crafty  leader,  the  Prince  of  Dark- 
ness. They  stood  firm,  and  were  well  disciplined,  and  in 
a  close  phalanx  ;  they  were  not  broken.  As  though  they 


One  Trophy  for  Two  Exploits.  115 

were  but  one  man  they  sustained  the  shock  of  Christ's 
attack,  and  marched  against  him,  hoping  for  victory.  In 
such  character  do  his  opponents  appear.  However  well 
you  might  discipline  a  crowd  of  men,  yet  they  would 
not  become  a  troop  unless  also  they  have  been  trained 
in  warfare.  A  troop  means  a  body  of  well-disciplined 
men,  all  of  them  prepared  to  fight,  and  understanding 
how  to  make  war.  Thus,  all  Christ's  enemies  were  well 
trained.  There  was  the  Archfiend  of  Hell,  who  in  hun- 
dreds of  battles  against  the  Lord's  elect  in  the  olden 
time  had  gotten  a  thorough  knowledge  of  all  the  weak 
points  of  manhood,  and  understood  how  to  temper  his 
attack,  and  wherein  lay  the  greatest  chances  of  victory. 
After  him  were  all  the  fiends  of  the  pit,  and  these  were 
all  well  exercised,  each  of  them  mighty,  of  giant  stature 
like  Goliath — all  of  them  mighty  to  do  great  exploits 
with  any  man  less  than  God,  however  mighty  that  man 
might  be.  And  as  for  sin,  was  it  not  a  mighty  thing  ? 
Were  not  our  sins  all  of  them  mighty  to  destroy  ?  The 
least  one  amons^  the  sins  that  attacked  Christ  would 
have  been  sufficient  to  destroy  the  human  race  !  and  yet 
there  were  tens  of  thousands  of  these,  well  disciplined, 
ranged  in  order,  and  all  thoroughly  prepared  for  battle. 
All  these  came  on  in  dread  array  against  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  It  was  a  troop.  I  have  not 
overdrawn  this,  for  Calvin  translates  this  term  "a 
wedge,"  for  in  his  day  it  was  customary  in  battle  for  the 
soldiers  to  form  themselves  into  a  wedge-shape,  so  that 
when  they  attacked  the  enemy  the  first  man  made  an 
opening,  though  befell;  the  next  two  advanced,  and 
then  after  them  the  three,  and  as  the  wedge  widened  it 
broke  the  ranks  of  the  enemy.    So  it  seemeth  as  though 


116  Types  and  Emblems. 

the  Hoi}'  Spirit  would  here  describe  the  regular  tiii'd 
well-directed  attack  which  the  enemy  of  man's  soul 
made  upon  Christ.  He  came  against  him  in  settled 
order.  It  was  no  rush  of  some  wild  Tartar  host  against 
the  Saviour,  it  was  a  well-arranged  and  well-regulated 
attack ;  and  yet,  glory  be  to  his  name,  he  broke  through 
the  troop,  and  ran  through  them  more  than  a  conqueror. 
Another  old  and  eminent  commentator  translates  the 
term  troop  by  the  old  Greek  term  a  phalanx,  to  show 
again  how  strong,  how  mighty,  how  great  and  powerful 
were  the  enemies  of  Christ.  It  will  often  be  of  excellent 
use  to  us  for  the  stimulation  of  our  faith,  and  for  the 
excitement  of  our  gratitude,  if  we  recollect  the  might 
of  the  enemies  of  Christ.  When  we  undervalue  the 
strength  of  his  enemies,  we  are  apt  to  under-estimate 
his  omnipotence.  We  must  go  through  the  ranks  of 
his  foes,  and  look  the  ghastly  opponents  in  the  face ;  we 
must  march  through  the  long  lines  of  our  sins,  and  look 
at  the  hideous  nionsters,  and  see  how  mighty  they  are, 
and  how  powerless  all  human  strength  would  have  been 
to  resist  them ;  and  then  shall  we  learn  in  an  ample 
measure  to  estimate  the  might  and  the  majesty  of  the 
glorious  Son  of  God,  when,  all  unarmed  and  unassisted, 
he  ran  through  the  troop  and  put  them  all  to  the  rout. 
Several  different  eminent  expositors  of  God's  Word 
give  divers  interpretations  of  this  sentence,  each  sug- 
gesting afresh  meaning,  and  helping  to  bring  out  that 
which  is  certainly  true,  if  not  the  precise  meaning  of  the 
passage.  One  good  translator  says  this  verse  might  be 
rendered,  "  By  thee  have  I  ran  to  a  troop  ;  '•  and  takes 
this  to  be  the  sense.  Our  Saviour  is  represented  to  us 
as  not  waiting  till  his  enemies  came  to  him,  but  running 


One  Trophy  for  Two  Exploits.  117 

to  them,  willingly  and  voluntarily  resigning  himself  to 
their  attack.  He  did  not  wait  till  Judas  should  come  to 
the  upper  room  and  salute  him  in  the  chamber  as  he  sat 
at  supper ;  neither  did  he  tarry  on  his  knees  in  that  ter- 
rible agony  of  his  in  the  olive  grove ;  but  he  went  forth 
to  meet  Judas.  Judas  had  come  forth  with  swords  and 
with  staves  to  take  him  as  a  thief;  but  he  sought  not 
to  make  an  escape.  "  He  went  forth  unto  them,  and 
said  unto  them,  whom  seek  ye  ? "  Thus  did  he  manifest 
both  his  willingness  to  undertake  our  redemption,  and 
also  his  courage  in  facing  the  foe.  There  was  at  one 
time  a  human  fear  which  seemed  as  if  it  would  hold  him 
back  from  the  battle,  when  he  said,  "  Oh,  my  Father,  if 
it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me ; "  but  this  once 
expressed,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  anointed  him  with 
fresh  courage,  and  to  the  battle  he  walked  with  slow, 
majestic  steps.  He  would  not  wait  till  they  rushed  on 
him ;  but  he  would  take  the  initiative,  and  begin  the 
fight.  He  had  come  upon  them  in  the  garden  ;  and  now 
already  with  his  own  blood  see  the  conquering  hero 
rushes  to  the  fight,  and  dashes  through  the  troop.  But 
look  what  divine  mercy,  what  holy  courage  is  here 
found  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  he  ran  to  our 
enemies. 

"  Down  from  the  shining  courts  above 
With  joyful  haste  he  fled  ; 
Entered  the  grave  in  mortal  flesh, 
And  dwelt  amohg  the  dead." 

He  ran  to  a  troop.  But  our  version  hath  it, "  He  ran 
through  a  troop ; "  and  this  is  also  exceedingly  accurate, 
if  you  couple  with  it  the  idea  which  you  will  find  in  the 
marginal  readings  of  your  Bibles.  "  By  thee  have  I 
hroTcen  through  a  troop."     Christ  made  a  dash  at  his 


118  Types  and  Emblems. 

foes.  They  stood  firm,  as  if  tliey  would  not  flinch  before 
him,  but  his  terrible  right  hand  soon  found  for  him  a 
way.  They  imagined  when  his  hands  were  nailed  to  the 
cross  that  now  he  was  powerless ;  but  that  nail  was  the 
very  symbol  of  his  omnipotence,  for  in  weakness  was  he 
strong.  The  bowing  of  Uis  head,  which  they  perhaps 
thought  to  be  the  symbol  of  his  defeat,  was  but  the 
symbol  of  his  victory ;  and  in  dying  he  conquered,  in 
suffering  he  overcame.  Every  wound  that  he  received 
was  a  death-blow  to  his  enemies,  and  every  pang  that 
rent  his  heart  was  as  when  a  lion  rendeth  the  prey, 
and  Christ  himself  was  rending  them  when  they 
thought  that  they  were  rending  him.  He  ran  through 
a  troop. 

It  will  do  your  souls  good  if  you  have  imagination 
enough  to  picture  Christ  running  through  this  troop. 
How  short  were  his  sufferings  comparatively  !  Com- 
pare them  with  the  eternal  weight  of  punishment  and 
misery  which  we  ought  to  have  endured.  What  a 
stride  was  that  which  Jesus  took  when  he  marched 
right  through  his  enemies,  and  laid  them  right  and  left, 
and  gained  himself  a  glorious  victory.  Samson,  when 
he  grasped  the  jaw-bone  of  an  ass,  slew  his  thousand 
men,  and  said,  *'  Heaps  upon  heaps  with  the  jaw-bone 
of  an"  ass  have  I  slain  a  thousand  men,"  did  it  all  in 
haste,  and  then  threw  awa}^  the  jaw-bone,  as  if  it  were 
but  little  he  had  done.  And  even  so  our  mightier 
Samson,  meeting  with  the  hosts  of  sin,  and  death,  and 
hell,  laid  them  all  in  heaps ;  and  then  crying  out  "  It 
is  finished,"  he  seemed  as  strong  and  mighty  as  if  he 
had  not  endured  the  fatigues  of  the  fight,  or  suffered 
the  horrors  of  death,  and  was  ready,  if  they  required 


Oiie  Trophy  for  Two  Exploits.  119 

it,  to   meet   them   all  again,  and  give    them  another 
defeat.     "  By  thee  have  I  run  through  a  troop." 

There  is  yet  another  version.  "  By  thee  have  I  run 
after  a  troop."  After  our  Saviour  had  met  and  fought 
with  his  antagonists,  and  conquered  them,  they  fled. 
But  he  pursued  them.  He  must  not  simply  defeat,  but 
take  them  prisoners.  There  was  Old  Captivity.  You 
know  his  name.  He  had  been  the  oppressor  of  the 
human  race  for  many  and  many  a  day,  and  when  Christ 
routed  him  he  fled.  But  Jesus  pursued,  and  binding 
him  in  adamantine  chains,  "'  He  led  captivity  captive, 
and  gave  gifts  to  man."  He  pursued  the  troop,  and 
brought  back  old  Satan  in  chains,  bound  him  in  fetters, 
slew  grim  death,  and  ground  his  iron  limbs  to  powder, 
and  left  his  enemies  no  more  at  large  to  wander  where 
they  will,  but  subject  to  his  divine  power  and  to  his 
omnipotent  sway.  He  ran  after  a  troop,  and  took 
them  prisoners. 

Perhaps,  however,  the  most  striking  thing  in  our 
text  is  the  combination  of  those  two  little  words,  "  by 
thee."  What,  did  not  Christ  fight  and  obtain  victory 
by  his  own  innate  strength  ?  Did  not  the  Son  of  God, 
the  Redeemer,  find  strength  enough  within  himself  to 
do  all  that  was  necessary  for  us?  It  would  not  be 
heterodox  if  I  were  to  assert  that  it  was  even  so.  And 
yet  in  Scripture  you  will  constantly  find  that  the  con- 
descension of  Christ  is  eminently  pointed  out  to  us  in 
the  fact  that,  as  the  servant  of  God,  and  as  our  Re- 
deemer, he  is  continually  spoken  of  as  being  strength- 
ened, assisted,  and  animated  by  his  Father  and  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Especially  will  you  notice  this  in  the  Book  of 
Mark.     The  Evangelist  Mark  speaks  of  Christ  through 


120  Types  and  Emblems. 

the  whole  of  his  book  as  a  servant.  Each  of  the  Evange^ 
lists  has  a  distinct  view  of  Christ.  Matthew  speaks  of 
him  as  a  king,  Mark  as  a  servant,  Luke  as  a  man,  and 
John  as  God.  Now,  in  reading  through  Mark,  you 
will  observe,  if  jou  take  the  trouble  to  read  it  carefully, 
the  recurrence  of  such  phrases  as  this — "  And  imme- 
diately the  Spirit  driveth  him  into  the  wilderness.'' 
This  follows  close  on  his  baptism,  when  the  Holy  Ghost 
descended  on  him  as  a  dove.  And  then,  when  he 
came  up  to  Nazareth,  we  read  that,  as  a  servant,  Christ 
needed  anointing  as  well  as  any  other ;  and,  when  he 
begins  to  preach,  his  text  is,  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
is  upon  me,  because  he  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  poor,  and  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken- 
hearted." Now,  I  take  it  this  is  a  very  eminent  in- 
stance of  the  condescension  of  our  Divine  Master,  that 
he  in  all  things  was  made  like  unto  his  brethren  ;  and, 
as  they  are  utterly  powerless  without  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  without  the  Father's  drawing  can  do  nothing,  so 
Jesus  Christ  did,  as  it  were,  divest  himself  of  his  own 
Divine  power,  and,  as  our  brother,  he  fraternized  even 
with  our  infirmities.  Thus  he  was  strengthened, 
helped,  and  assisted  by  his  Father  and  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Hence,  it  is  strictly  accurate  to  remark  that 
even  Christ  himself  could  subscribe  to  this  sentence 
— "  By  thee  have  I  run  through  a  troop." 

Does  it  seem  to  you,  beloved,  to  lower  your  hope  in 
the  person  of  Christ  ?  At  first  sight  it  may  seem  so. 
But,  think  again ;  there  is  much  rich  consolation  here. 
O,  my  soul,  learn  that  thou  hast  not  only  God  the 
Son  to  be  thy  helper,  but  that  thou  hast  God  the 
Father  and  God  the  Spirit  also !     Oh,  'tis  sweet  to  see 


One  Troj}hy  for  Two  Exploits.  121 

that  in  redemption  itself,  where  we  are  too  apt  with 
our  poor  blind  ejes  to  see  but  one  person  of  the  Trin- 
ity— in  redemption  itself  the  triune  Jehovah  was 
engaged.  If  this  is  not  the  view  of  the  work  of 
redemption  which  is  commonly  taken,  I  am  sure  it  is 
Scriptural.  It  is  true  that  the  Son  paid  the  penalty, 
and  endured  the  agony ;  but  still  it  was  his  Father 
who,  while  smiting  him  with  one  hand,  sustained  him 
with  the  other ;  and  it  was  the  Spirit  who,  wrapping 
him  about  with  zeal  as  with  a  cloak,  and  inflaming  his 
soul  with  divine  ardor,  enabled  him  to  dash  through 
his  enemies,  and  become  more  than  a  conqueror.  This 
sweetens  redemption  to  me.  The  Father  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  also  are  engaged  and  interested  on  my  behalf. 
Our  Kedeemer  is  the  Holy  One  of  Israel — the  Lord 
of  Hosts  is  his  name.  "We  may  say  of  the  three  per- 
sons of  the  Divine  Trinity  that  each  of  these  is  our 
Kedeemer,  because  they  have  all  brought  to  its  full 
completion  the  grand  work  of  our  redemption  from 
the  power  of  sin,  and  death,  and  hell.  "  By  thee 
have  I  run  through  a  troop."  My  soul,  lift  up  thine 
eyes  ere  thou  turnest  from  this  passage,  and  see  all 
thy  sins  forgiven  in  the  person  of  Christ.  Look  there, 
and  behold  the  old  dragon's  head  broken ;  see  death 
pierced  through  with  one  of  his  own  shafts.  See  how 
the  old  serpent  drags  along  his  mangled  length,  writh- 
ing in  his  agony,  for  "  The  Lord  Jehovah  is  our 
strength  and  our  song ;  he  also  has  become  our  salva- 
tion ;  "  and,  in  him,  and  through  him,  and  by  him, 
we  have  broken  through  a  troop,  and  are  more  than 
conquerors. 

Let  us  now  take  the  second  sentence,  "  By  my  God 
6 


122  Types  and  Emblems. 

have  I  leaped  over  a  wall."  How  is  this  to  be  under- 
stood ?  I  think  that  David,  if  we  take  this  as  allud- 
ing to  David,  is  here  described  as  having  stormed  and 
taken  some  strongly-munitioned  and  well-walled  city. 
He  had  by  the  power  of  God  taken  the  strength  from 
the  inhabitants  of  Jebus,  and  so  he  had  leaped  over  a 
wall.  But  we  are  not  now  speaking  of  David  but  of 
Christ.  In  what  sense  can  we  say  that  Jesus  Christ 
has  stormed  a  wall  ?  "  By  my  God  have  I  leaped 
over  a  wall."  I  must  be  allowed  to  be  figurative  for 
a  few  minutes.  The  people  of  the  Lord  had  become 
the  slaves  of  Satan,  and  that  they  might  never  more 
escape  from  his  power,  he  had  put  them  into  his  strong- 
hold, and  had  walled  them  round  about,  that  they 
might  be  his  perpetual  captives.  There  was,  first  of 
all,  the  tremendous  bulwark  of  sin,  gathering  strength 
from  the  law,  with  its  ten  massive  towers  mounted 
with  ten  hundred  pieces  of  ordnance,  in  the  shape  of 
threatenings  of  destruction.  This  wall  was  so  high 
that  no  human  being  has  ever  been  able  to  scale  it ; 
80  terrible,  that  even  the  omnipotence  of  God  had  to 
be  exercised  before  it  could  be  removed.  Next  to  this 
there  was  a  second  rampart ;  it  was  the  rampart  of 
diabolical  insinuation  and  satanic  suggestion.  Satan 
had  not  only  allowed  the  law  to  stand  so  as  to  keep 
the  soul  in  despair,  but  had  added  to  this  his  own 
determination  that  he  would  not  leave  a  stone  unturned, 
might  he  but  keep  the  human  race  in  his  own  power. 
Thus  hell  made  the  second  rampart,  while  it  seemed 
as  if  heaven  had  built  the  first.  Outside  thereof  was 
a  deep  ditch,  and  then  another  mound,  called  Human 
Depravity.     This,  as  we  must  observe,  was  as  difiicult 


One  Trophy  for  Tivo  Exploits.  123 

to  be  stormed  as  either  of  the  others.  Man  was  des- 
perately set  on  mischief.  He  would  be  a  sinner,  let 
what  might  be  said  to  him  or  done  for  him.  He  would 
seek  greedily  with  both  hands  to  work  out  his  own 
destruction ;  and  that  love  of  destruction  which  was 
in  his  heart  constituted  one  of  the  great  barriers  to  his 
salvation.  Now,  Christ  Jesus  came,  and  he  leaped 
over  all  these  walls.  He  came,  and  in  your  redemp- 
tion he  broke  through  the  law.  Nay,  he  did  not  break 
through  it,  he  mounted  it,  he  scaled  it.  The  law  of 
God  stands  to  this  day  as  fast  and  firm  as  ever ;  not  a 
stone  has  been  taken  down ;  not  one  of  its  castles  has 
been  dismantled ;  there  it  stands  in  all  its  awful  maj- 
esty, but  Christ  leaped  over  this.  He  paid  the  penalty, 
endured  the  wrath,  and  so  he  took  his  people  out  of 
the  first  ward  of  the  law.  Whereas,  after  this  came  a 
second,  the  wall  of  Satan's  fell  determination  to  keep 
them  prisoners.  Christ  our  Lord  and  Master  dashed 
this  into  a  thousand  pieces,  springing  the  tremendous 
mine  of  his  covenant  purposes,  and  throwing  the  whole 
mass  into  the  air,  and  there  it  was  destroyed  once  and 
for  ever ;  no  more  to  hold  the  people  of  God  in  cap- 
tivity and  bondage.  The  last  wall  which  he  had  to 
overleap,  in  order  to  get  his  people  thoroughly  free, 
and  bring  them  out  of  the  stronghold  of  sin  and  Satan, 
was  the  wall  of  their  own  depravity.  This,  indeed,  it 
were  hard  work  to  storm.  Many  of  his  ministers  first 
of  all  went  into  the  stronghold  and  tried  to  storm  it; 
but  they  came  away  defeated.  They  found  that  this 
was  too  strong  for  all  human  battering  rams.  They 
hammered  at  it  with  all  their  might,  but  there  it  stood, 
resisting  the  shock,  and  seeming  to  gather  strength 


124:  Types  and  Emhlems. 

from  every  blow  that  was  ineant  to  shake  it.  But,  at 
last,  Jesus  came,  and  using  nothing  but  his  cross,  as 
the  most  powerful  battering  ram,  he  shook  the  wall 
of  our  depravity  and  made  a  breach  and  entered  in, 
and  let  his  people  out  into  that  liberty  wherewith  he 
had  made  them  free.  Oh,  how  sweet  it  is  to  think  of 
Christ  thus  leaping  over  the  walls.  He  would  have 
his  people.  He  came  down  to  earth  and  was  with 
them  in  all  their  misery,  and  took  upon  him  all  their  sin. 
He  determined  to  enter  in.  and  save  them  from  the 
dungeon.  He  made  his  own  escape  and  brought  them 
with  him.  He  not  only  came  himself  through  sin, 
and  death,  and  hell  triumphant,  but  brought  all  his  chil- 
dren on  his  shoulders,  as  JEneas  did  his  old  father  An- 
chises.  The  whole  generation  of  the  elect  was  redeemed 
in  that  hour  when  Christ  leaped  over  every  wall. 

Thus,  have  I  tried  to  expound  to  you  the  text  as 
relating  to  the  person  of  our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ.  I  would  only  repeat  the  remark  once 
more,  that  in  this  verse  it  is  said,  "  By  my  God  have  I 
done  it."  As  mediator,  in  his  official  capacity,  and  in 
his  service  for  our  redemption,  he  received  the  strength- 
ening assistance  and  aid  of  his  Divine  Father,  and  he 
could  truly  say,  "  By  my  God  have  I  leaped  over  a 
wall."  It  will  do  thee  good,  O  believer,  if  thou  wilt 
often  stay  and  look  at  thy  Saviour  accomplishing  all  his 
triumphs.  O  my  soul,  what  wouldst  thou  have  done  if 
he  had  not  broken  through  a  troop,  if  he  had  not  routed 
them  ?  Where  wouldst  thou  have  been  ?  Thou  wouldst 
at  this  hour  have  been  the  captive  of  sin,  and  death, 
and  hell.  All  thy  sins  would  now  be  besetting  thee, 
howling  in  thine  ear  for  vengeance.    Satan,  with  all  the 


One  Tro^phy  for  Two  Exploits,  125 

hosts  of  hell,  would  be  now  guarding  thee,  determining 
thou  shouldst  never  escape.  Oh,  how  joyous  is  this  fact, 
that  he  had  once  for  all  routed  them,  and  now  we  are 
secure.  Then,  my  soul,  bethink  thee,  what  wouldst 
thou  have  done  if  he  had  not  leaped  over  a  wall  ?  Thou 
wouldst  have  been  dead  this  day,  shut  within  the  ram- 
part of  thine  own  hard  heart,  or  within  the  stronghold  of 
Satan,  and  with  the  mighty  fiends  of  hell  thou  wouldst 
have  been  trebly  guarded  and  trebly  enslaved.  Now 
thy  fetters  are  all  broken,  as  "  a  monument  of  grace,  a 
sinner  saved  by  blood."  Lift  up  thy  heart,  and  thy 
hands,  and  thy  voice,  and  shout  for  joy  and  for  gladness, 
*'  He  hath  broken  the  gates  of  brass,  and  cut  the  bars 
of  iron  in  sunder."  He  hath  leaped  over  a  wall,  and 
brought  thee  out  of  thy  prison-house. 

This  brings  me  now  to  the  second  part  of  my  dis- 
course, and  I  must  ask  your  patience,  and  pray  again 
for  the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  in  this  espe- 
cially Christ's  people  may  find  a  word  of  edification. 
We  are  now  to  regard  our  text  as  being  the  language  of 
the  believer.  He  can  say,  "  By  thee  have  I  run  through 
a  troop,  and  by  my  God  have  I  leaped  over  a  wall."  I 
shall  divide  my  text  after  another  fashion  on  this  second 
point.  I  shall  note,  first,  with  regard  to  the  believer, 
his  trials— how  varied  !  Sometimes  it  is  a  troop  of 
enemies  ;  at  another  time  a  wall  of  difiiculties.  When 
a  man  has  one  labor  to  accomplish,  he  soon  begins  to 
be  skilful  in  it.  If  he  is  to  be  a  soldier,  and  fight  a 
troop,  at  length  he  learns  how  to  get  the  victory.  But, 
suppose  that  his  labors  are  varied  ;  after  fighting  a  troop 
he  has  to  go  clambering  over  a  wall,  then  you  will  see 
the  critical  situations  by  which  he  is  embarrassed.  Now, 


126  Tyjpes  and  Emblems, 

this  aptly  pictures  the  position  of  God's  people ;  the 
Spirit  is  continually  varying  our  trials.  There  is  no 
one  day's  trials  that  are  exactly  like  the  trials  of  another 
day.  TVe  are  not  called  to  one  undeviating  temptation, 
or  else  it  would  cease  to  have  its  force ;  but  the  tempta- 
tions are  erratic — the  darts  are  shot  from  different  direc- 
tions, and  thestones  come  from  quite  opposite  quarters. 
This  is  well  set  out  in  one  of  the  Lord's  parables.  He 
speaks  of  the  trials  of  the  righteous  thus : — There  was  a 
certain  wise  man  who  built  his  house  upon  a  rock,  and 
the  rains  descended — trials  from  above  ;  and  the  floods 
came — trials  from  beneath ;  the  winds  blew — mysterious 
trials  from  every  quarter ;  and  they  all  beat  upon  that 
house,  and  it  fell  not.  Trials  of  every  shape  attend  the 
followers  of  the  Lamb.  "  A  Christian  man  is  seldom  long 
at  ease  ;  when  one  trial's  gone  another  doth  him  seize." 
The  archers  come  against  us,  and  we  receive  their  fiery 
darts  ;  anon  the  company  of  swordsmen  come,  and  we 
rebuke  them  ;  and  then  the  slingers  sling  their  stones 
against  us,  and  then  the  company  of  spearsmen  ;  so  that 
we  must  be  armed  at  all  points,  and  ready  for  every 
kind  of  attack.  Our  Saviour  in  this  was  like  to  us.  He 
says  to  us  in  one  place,  "  Dogs  have  compassed  me — that 
was  bad  enough — but  the  bulls  of  Bashan  have  beset 
me  round  ;  that  was  not  all,  they  gaped  upon  me  with 
their  mouths,  as  a  raving  and  a  roaring  lion."  Only 
fancy  that !  A  man  has  to  fight  with  dogs,  and  then  to 
fight  with  bulls,  and  then  with  lions.  And  yet,  this  is 
just  the  Christian's  state.  We  cannot  guess  from  the 
trials  of  the  past  what  will  be  the  trials  of  the  future ; 
we  think  it  is  to  be  all  fighting,  but  we  are  mistaken ; 
some  part  of  it  is  to  be  climbing  over  this  or  that  wall, 


One  Trophy  for  Two  Exploits.  127 

and  anon  make  way  throngh  obstructions  tliat  will  not 
yield.  Now,  I  have  known  God's  people  sometimes  try 
to  break  throngh  a  wall,  and  sometimes  try  to  climb  over 
a  troop.  This  is  very  absurd.  If  they  have  had  a 
troop  of  spiritual  enemies,  they  have  tried  to  climb  over 
them,  and  endeavor  to  escape  them.  At  another  time 
they  have  had  a  difficult  trial  like  a  w^all,  and  they  have 
been  so  headstrong  they  must  try  to  go  through  it.  Ah  ! 
w^e  have  much  to  learn.  Some  things  we  must  light 
through,  others  we  must  climb  over.  It  is  not  always 
right  for  the  child  of  God  to  let  his  courage  get  the  bet- 
ter of  his  discretion.  Let  him  have  courage  for  the 
troop  to  run  through  them,  and  discretion  for  the  wall, 
and  not  try  to  run  throngh  that,  or  he  will  break 
himself  in  pieces.  There  are  exercises  and  trials  in 
various  ways.  The  believer's  trials — how  varied  !  And, 
next  to  this,  notice  his  faith — how  unflinching  ! 

There  is  the  troop,  he  runs  through  them  ;  there  is 
the  wall,  he  is  ready  for  that — he  leaps  over  it.  He 
finds  that  his  faith  is  sufficient  for  every  emergency. 
When  his  God  is  with  him  there  is  difficulty  too  great 
for  him  ;  he  does  not  stop  to  deliberate — as  for  the  troop, 
he  runs  through  that ;  and  then  there  is  a  wall  at  the 
other  end — he  takes  a  leap  and  is  over  that.  So  when 
God  enables  our  faith,  when  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  is 
-with  us,  and  the  strength  of  Omnipotence  girds  our 
loins,  difficulties  are  only  the-  healthy  exercise  of  our 
faith.  God  will  exercise  faith.  There  is  not  a  single 
grain  of  faith  in  the  breast  of  any  living  believer  that  is 
not  exercised.  God  will  not  allow  it  to  sleep — a  sleep- 
ing faith,  a  dormant  faith,  I  believe  such  a  thing  don't 
exist.  If  thou  hast  faith,  my  brother,  expect  labor ;  for, 
i6* 


128  Types  and  Emblems. 

as  sure  as  God  gives  faith,  he  will  put  it  into  the  gym- 
nasium and  make  it  exercise  itself;  sometimes  dashing 
at  a  troop,  and  then  trying  its  limbs  another  way,  no 
more  to  exercise  its  arm  in  fighting,  but  its  knees  in 
prayer ;  to  climb  over  a  hill ;  all  sorts  of  exercises  to 
keep  our  faith  in  order  that  we  may  be  ready  for  any 
exercise,  whatever  it  may  be.  Some  men  seem  as  if 
they  only  had  to  meet  one  form  of  trial.  They  remind 
me  of  the  Indian  Fakir ;  he  holds  his  arm  straight  up  ; 
that  is  the  triumph  of  his  strength.  Now,  God  does 
not  exercise  a  believer's  limbs  till  they  grow  stiff;  but 
he  exercises  them  in  every  way,  that  they  may  become 
supple,  so  that,  come  what  may,  he  is  ready  to  achieve 
any  exploit. 

With  faith,  how  easy  all  exploits  become  !  When 
we  have  no  faith,  then  to  fight  with  enemies  and  over- 
come difficulties  is  hard  work  indeed ;  but,  when  we 
have  faith,  oh,  how  easy  our  victories !  What  does 
the  believer  do?  There  is  a  troop — well,  he  runs 
through  it.  'Tis  but  a  matter  of  morning  exercise. 
There  is  a  wall.  What  about  that  ?  Does  he  climb 
over  with  hands  and  knees,  as  a  long,  hard  task,  put- 
ting up  a  ladder  on  one  side,  and  pulling  it  over  on  the 
other?  It  is  amazing  how  easy  life  becomes  when  a 
man  has  faith.  Does  faith  diminish  difficulties  ?  Oh, 
no  !  it  increaseth  them  ;  but  it  increaseth  his  strength 
to  overcome  them.  If  thou  hast  faith,  thou  shalt  have 
trials  ;  but  thou  shalt  do  great  exploits,  endure  great 
privations,  and  get  triumphant  victories.  Have  you 
ever  seen  a  man  made  mighty  through  God  ?  But 
have  you  ever  seen  him  in  an  hour  of  desertion  ?  He 
goes  out  like  Samson  to  meet  the  Philistines.     "  Oh  !  '* 


One  Trophy  for  Two  Exploits.  129 

sajs  he,  "  I  will  shake  myself  as  at  other  times."  But 
his  locks  have  been  shorn,  and  when  the  cry  is  raised, 
"The  Philistines  are  upon  thee,  Samson,"  he  shakes 
his  limbs  with  vast  surprise,  makes  feeble  light,  and 
loses  his  eyes.  They  are  put  out,  and  he  returns  in 
blindness. 

But,  when  God  is  with  him,  see  what  the  believer  can 
do.  They  have  weaved  the  seven  locks  of  his  head 
with  a  web,  and  he  takes  and  carries  the  loom  away. 
Anon  they  bind  him  with  seven  green  withs  that  have 
never  been  tried.  All  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
believeth  ;  nay,  not  only  possible,  but  easy,  when  God 
is  with  him.  He  laughs  at  impossibilities,  and  says  it 
shall  be  done,  for  faith  can  do  all  things.  *'  By  my  God 
have  I  run  through  a  troop ;  by  ray  God  have  I  leaped 
over  a  wall."  And  yet,  though  the  victories  of  faith  are 
thus  easy,  we  must  call  to  mind  that  these  victories 
always  are  to  be  traced  to  a  divine  source.  That  man 
who  takes  the  credit  of  his  victories  to  himself  hath  no 
faith,  for  faith  is  one  of  the  self-denying  graces.  Faith 
called  a  parliament  of  all  the  graces,  and  passed  a 
self-denying  ordinance.  It  decreed  that  whatever 
any  of  the  graces  did  it  should  give  all  the  glory  of  it 
to  God.  Christ  once  upon  a  time  took  the  crown  off 
his  own  head,  and  put  it  on  the  head  of  faith.  "  When 
was  that?"  say  you.  Why,  Christ  healed  the  poor 
woman,  and  therefore  it  was  HE  who  deserved  the 
crown ;  but,  saith  he,  ''  Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  ;  go 
and  sin  no  more."  He  thus  put  the  crown  upon  faith. 
What  was  the  reason  ?  Why,  because  faith  always  puts 
its  crown  on  the  head  of  Christ.  True  faith  never 
wears  its  own  crown.  It  says,  "  Kot  unto  me,  but 
6* 


130  Types  and  EnibUms. 

unto  thj  name,  Lord,  be  all  the  glory."  This  is  the 
reason  why  God  has  selected  faith  to  achieve  such 
mighty  victories ;  because  faith  will  not  allow  the 
glory  or  honor  to  cleave  to  its  own  wings,  but  shakes 
off  all  self-praise,  just  as  Paul  did  the  viper  into  the 
fire.  Faith  says,  "  IRo,  no.  Give  me  not  thanks,  or 
praise,  or  honor.  I  have  done  nothing."  Faith  will 
have  it  not  only  that  it  does  nothing,  but  that  Christ, 
which  dwelleth  in  it,  has  done  it  all ;  and  faith  has 
been  known  to  say,  "  I  want  none  of  your  palms,  ye 
belong  to  Christ,  not  to  me."  It  will  have  nothing  to 
do  with  honor,  Christ  must  have  every  atom  of  it. 

And  now,  my  dear  friends,  there  is  one  consolation 
with  which  I  will  close  this  sermon.  The  psalmist 
says,  "  By  thee  have  I  run  through  a  troop ;  and  by 
my  God  have  I  leaped  over  a  wall."  I  think  if  he  were 
here  at  this  time  he  would  permit  me  to  add,  "  And  by 
my  God  shall  I  leap  over  a  wall,  and  by  thee  shall  I 
break  through  many  a  troop."  What  faith  has  done 
once  by  its  God,  it  can  do  again.  We  have  met  Satan 
once  in  the  battle-field,  and  when  he  chooses  to  attack 
us  once  more  that  old  Jerusalem  blade  that  gave  him 
a  bitter  blow  once  is  ready  to  give  him  another.  That 
shield  which  once  caught  his  fiery  darts  is  still  unbroken, 
and  still  prepared  to  receive  another  portion  of  them 
when  he  chooses  to  hurl  them.  Martin  Luther,  you 
know,  often  used  to  defy  Satan  to  battle.  I  care  not 
to  do  that ;  but  he  used  to  say,  in  his  queer,  quaint  way, 
*'  I  often  laugh  at  Satan,  and  there  is  nothing  makes 
him  so  angry  as  when  I  attack  him  to  his  face,  and  tell 
him  that  through  God  I  am  more  than  a  match  for 
him  ;  tell  him  to  do  his  worst,  and  yet  I  will  beat  him ; 


Orte  Trophy  for  Two  Exploits,  131 

and  tell  liim  to  put  forth  his  fury,  and  yet  I  will  over- 
come him."  This  would  be  presumption  if  in  our  own 
strength.  It  is  only  faith  in  the  providence  of  God 
that  can  enable  us  to  say  so.  He  that  has  made  God 
his  refuge  need  fear  no  storm  ;  but  just  as  sometimes 
in  Christmas  weather  the  wind  and  snow  and  storm 
outside  make  the  family  fire  seem  warmer,  and  the 
family  circle  seem  happier,  so  the  trials  and  temptations 
of  Satan  do  sometimes  seem  to  add  to  the  very  peace 
and  happiness  of  the  true  believer  while  he  sits  wrap- 
ped up  in  the  mantle  of  godly  confidence. 

"  Let  cares  like  a  wild  deluge  come, 
And  storms  of  sorrow  fall  ; 
May  I  but  safely  reach  my  home. 
My  God,  my  heaven,  my  all." 

And  when  we  know  that  we  shall  reach  our  home, 
even  the  storms  or  the  tempests  matter  but  little. 
Come,  poor  believer,  pluck  up  thy  courage.  I  have 
tried  to  give  thee  some  strong  meat.  Feed  upon  it. 
As  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  a  troop  to  face,  and 
broke  through  them,  so  shalt  thou.  Even  as  he  over- 
came, so  shalt  thou  overcome.  Did  he  enter  heaven, 
and  is  there  a  long  cloud  of  witnesses  streaming  in 
behind  him,  every  one  a  warrior  ?  So  if  thou  art 
his  warrior  thou  shalt  be  one  of  that  long  stream ; 
thou  shalt  also  wear  a  crown,  and  wave  the  palm,  and 
sing  a  song  of  victory,  and  talk  of  triumph  purchased 
through  the  blood  of,  and  achieved  through  faith  in, 
the  Lamb. 

I  must  pause  one  moment  while  I  address  myself  to 
those  who  know  nothing  of  God,  and  nothing  of  Christ. 
Well,  my  hearers,  you  have  a  troop  too,  and  you  have 


132  Types  and  Emhlems, 

your  walls  of  difficulty ;  but  you  have  no  God  to  help 
you  !  Whatever  trials  the  believer  has,  he  has  a  God 
to  fly  to.  "  Look,"  said  a  poor  woman  to  a  lady  who 
called  to  see  her,  ''  Look,  ma'am,  I'll  show  you  all  I'm 
worth.  Do  you  see  that  cupboard,  ma'am  ?  Look  in." 
The  lady  looked  in,  and  saw  nothing.  "  Do  you  see 
this  cupboard?"  said  the  woman.  "Yes,"  said  the 
lady,  "  but  there  is  nothing  in  it  but  a  dr}^  crust." 
"  Well,"  continued  the  woman,  "  do  you  see  this  chest  ?" 
"Yes,  I  see  it;  but  it  is  empty,"  was  the  reply. 
"  Well,"  said  she,  "  that  is  all  I  am  worth,  ma'am ; 
but  I  have  not  a  doubt  or  fear  with  regard  to  my  tem- 
poral affairs.  My  God  is  so  good  that  I  can  still  live 
without  doubts  and  fears."  She  knew  what  it  was  to 
break  through  a  troop  and  leap  over  a  wall.  Kow, 
perhaps,  there  are  some  of  you  with  cupboards  just  as 
empty  as  that  poor  woman's ;  but,  you  cannot  add,  "  I 
have  a  God  to  go  to."  O  miserable  creature — miser- 
able if  you  are  rich,  thrice  miserable  if  you  are  poor — 
to  be  like  a  packhorse  in  this  life,  carrying  a  heavy 
burden,  and  then  not  to  be  unloaded  at  the  grave,  but 
to  have  a  double  burden  laid  upon  you.  O  poor  men 
and  women  without  Christ — with  the  few  comforts 
which  you  have  in  this  life,  with  its  many  privations, 
with  its  hunger,  and  thirst,  and  nakedness,  oh,  that 
you  should  not  have  a  better  world  to  go  to !  Above 
all,  it  seems  a  miserable  thing  that  you  should  go 
through  poverty  here  to  a  place  where  a  drop  of  water 
shall  be  denied  you  to  cool  your  burning  tongue !  If 
Christ  is  precious  to  the  rich  on  earth,  you  must  think 
that  there  is  a  peculiar  sort  of  relish  with  which  the 
poor  man  feeds  on  the  bread  of  heaven.     But,  you  say, 


One  Trophy  for  Two  Exploits.  133 

"  May  I  not  have  a  hope  of  heaven  ? "  Assuredly, 
my  friend.  Dost  thou  long  for  Christ  this  moment  ? 
Then,  he  longs  for  thee.  Dost  thou  desire  to  have 
him?  Then  he  gives  thee  that  desire.  Come  thou 
to  him,  for  the  word  of  the  gospel  is,  "  Whosoever 
will,  let  him  come  and  take  of  the  water  of  life 
freely."  None  are  excluded ;  none  but  those  who  do 
themselves  exclude.  The  invitation  is  free.  May  the 
application  be  effectual !  Oh,  that  some  of  you  may 
be  led  to  go  to  your  houses  now,  and  on  your  knees 
ask  for  forgiveness  of  sin,  and  seek  that  you  may 
become  the  children  of  God,  through  faith  in  the  pre- 
cious blood  once  shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins. 


€\xhi  tlje  %xu  of  lift 


'*  In  tlie  midst  of  tlie  street  of  it,  and  on  either  side  of  the 
river,  was  there  the  tree  of  life,  which  bare  twelve  manner  of 
fruits,  and  yielded  her  fruit  every  month  :  and  the  leaves  of  the 
tree  were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations." — Revelation  xxii.  2. 


OU  will  remember  that  in  the  first  Paradise 
there  was  a  tree  of  life  in  the  midst  of  the 
garden.  When  Adam  had  offended,  and  was 
driven  out,  it  was  said,  "  Lest  he  put  forth  his 
hand,  and  take  of  the  tree,  and  eat,  and  live 
for  ever,  therefore  God  drove  out  the  man."  It  has 
been  supposed  by  some,  that  this  tree  of  life  in  the 
garden  of  Eden  was  intended  to  be  the  means  of  con- 
tinuing man  in  immortality,  that  his  feeding  upon  it 
would  have  supported  him  in  the  vigor  of  unfailing 
youth,  preserved  him  from  exposure  to  decay,  and 
imparted  by  a  spiritual  regeneration,  the  seal  of  per- 
petuity to  his  constitution.  I  do  not  know  about  that. 
If  it  were  so,  I  can  understand  the  reason  why  God 
would  not  have  the  first  man,  Adam,  become  immortal 
in  the  lapsed  state  he  then  was,  but  ordained  that  the 
old  nature  should  die,  and  that  the  immortality  should 
be   given  to  a  new  nature,  which  should  be  formed 


Christ  the  Tree  of  Life,  135 

under  another  leadership,  and  quickened  by  another 
spirit. 

The  text  tells  us  that  in  the  centre  of  the  new  Para- 
dise, the  perfect  Paradise  of  God,  from  which  the  saints 
shall  never  be  driven,  seeing  it  is  to  be  our  perpetual 
heritas^e,  there  is  also  a  tree  of  life.  But  here  we  trans- 
late  the  metaphor.  We  do  not  understand  anything 
literal  at  all.  We  believe  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  be 
none  other  than  that  tree  of  life,  whose  leaves  are  for 
the  healing  of  the  nations.  We  can  scarcely  conceive 
of  any  other  interpretation,  as  this  seems  to  us  to  be  so 
full  of  meaning,  and  to  afford  us  such  unspeakable 
satisfaction. 

At  any  rate,  beloved,  if  this  be  not  the  absolute  pur- 
pose of  the  sublime  vision  that  John  saw,  it  is  most 
certainly  true  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  life  from 
the  dead,  and  life  to  his  own  living  people.  He  is  all  in 
all  to  them,  and  by  him,  and  by  him  alone  must  their 
spiritual  life  be  maintained.  We  are  .right  enough, 
then,  in  saying  that  Jesus  Christ  is  a  tree  of  life,  and 
we  shall  so  speak  of  him,  in  the  hope  that  some  may 
come  and  pluck  of  the  fruit,  and  eat,  and  live  for  ever. 
Our  desire  shall  be  so  to  use  the  sacred  allegory  that 
some  poor  dying  soul  may  be  encouraged  to  lay  hold 
on  eternal  life,  by  laying  hold  on  Jesus  Christ. 

First,  we  shall  take  the  tree  of  life  in  the  winter  with 
no  fruit  on  it ;  secondly,  we  shall  try  to  show  you  the 
tree  of  life  hudding  and  hlossoming  ;  and,  thirdly,  ive 
shall  endeavor  to  show  you  the  way  to  partake  of  it^ 
fruits. 

I.  And  first,  my  brethren,  I  have  to  speak  to  yon 
of  Jesus  Christ,  the  tree   of  life  in  the  winter. 


136  Types  and  Erablems. 

You  will  at  once  anticipate  that  I  mean  by  this  figure 
to  describe  Jesus  in  his  sufferings^  in  his  dark  wintry 
days,  when  he  did  hang  upon  the  cross,  and  bleed,  and 
die ;  when  he  had  no  honor  from  men,  and  no  respect 
from  any;  when  even  God  the  Father  hid  his  face 
from  him  for  a  season,  and  he  was  made  a  curse  for  us, 
that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
him.  My  dear  friends,  you  will  never  see  the  tree  of 
life  aright,  unless  you  first  look  at  the  cross.  It  was 
there  that  this  tree  gathered  strength  to  bring  forth  its 
after-fruit.  It  was  there,  we  say,  that  Jesus  Christ,  by 
his  glorious  merits  and  his  wondrous  work  achieved 
upon  the  cross,  obtained  power  to  become  the  Redeemer 
of  our  souls,  and  the  Captain  of  our  salvation. 

Come  with  me,  then,  by  your  faith,  to  the  foot  of  the 
little  mound  of  Calvary,  and  let  us  look  up  and  see  this 
thing  that  came  to  pass.  Let  us  turn  aside  as  Moses  did 
when  the  bush  burned,  and  see  this  great  sight.  It  is 
the  greatest  marvel  that  ever  earth,  or  hell,  or  heaven 
beheld,  and  we  may  well  spend  a  few  minutes  in  be- 
holding it. 

Our  Lord  Jesus,  the  ever-living,  the  immortal,  the 
eternal,  became  man,  and,  being  found  in  fashion  as  a 
man,  he  humbled  himself,  and  died  the  death  of  the 
cross.  That  death  was  not  on  his  own  account.  His 
humanity  had  no  need  to  die.  He  might  have  lived 
on,  and  have  seen  no  death  if  so  he  willed.  He  had 
committed  no  offence,  no  sin,  and  therefore  no  punish- 
ment could  fall  upon  him. 

"  For  sins  not  his  own 
He  died  to  atone." 

Every  pang  upon  the  cross  was  substitutionary  ;  and 


Christ  the  Tree  of  Life,  137 

for  you,  ye  sons  of  men,  the  Prince  of  Glory  bled,  the 
just  for  the  unjust,  that  he  might  bring  you  to  God. 
There  was  no  smart  for  himself,  for  his  Father  loved 
him  with  a  love  inefiable ;  and  he  deserved  no  blows 
from  his  Father's  hand,  but  his  smarts  were  for  the  sins 
of  his  enemies,  for  your  sins  and  mine,  that  by  his 
stripes  we  might  be  healed,  and  that  through  his 
wounds,  reconciliation  might  be  made  with  God. 

Think,  then,  of  the  Saviour's  death  upon  the  cross. 
Mark  ye  well  that  it  was  an  accursed  death.  There 
were  many  ways  by  which  men  might  die,  but  there 
was  only  one  death  which  God  pronounced  to  be  ac- 
cursed. He  did  not  say — Cursed  is  he  that  dies  by 
stoning,  or  by  the  sword,  or  by  a  millstone  being  fast- 
ened about  his  neck,  or  by  being  eaten  of  worms,  but 
it  was  written — "  Cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth  on 
a  tree."  By  no  other  death  than  that  one,  which  God 
did  single  out  as  the  death  of  the  accursed,  could  Jesus 
Christ  die.  Admire  it,  believer,  that  Jesus  Christ 
should  be  made  a  curse  for  us.  Admire,  and  love  ;  let 
your  faith  and  your  gratitude  blend  together. 

It  was  a  death  of  the  most  ignominious  kind.  The 
Koman  law  subjected  only  felons  to  it,  and  I  believe  not 
even  felons,  unless  they  were  slaves.  A  freed  Koman 
must  not  so  die,  nor  a  subject  of  any  of  the  kingdoms 
that  Rome  had  conquered,  but  only  the  slave  who 
was  bought  and  sold  in  the  market  could  be  put  to 
this  death.  They  counted  him  worthy  to  be  sold  as  a 
slave,  and  then  they  put  him  to  a  slave's  death  for  you. 
Besides,  they  added  to  the  natural  scorn  of  the  death 
their  own  ridicule.  Some  passed  by  and  wagged  their 
heads.     Some  stood  still  and  thrust  out  their  tongues. 


lo8  Types  and  Emhlems. 

Others  sat  down  and  watched  him  there,  and  satisfied 
their  malice  and  their  scorn.  He  was  made  the  centre 
of  all  sorts  of  ridicule  and  shame.  He  was  the  drunk- 
ard's song,  and  even  they  that  were  crucified  with  him 
reviled  him.  And  all  this  he  sufiered  for  us.  Our  sin 
was  shameful,  and  he  w^as  made  to  be  a  shame.  We 
had  disgraced  ourselves  and  dishonored  God,  and  there- 
fore Jesus  was  joined  with  the  wicked  in  his  death, 
and  made  as  vile  as  they. 

Besides,  the  death  was  exceedingly  jpainful.  We 
must  not  forget  the  pangs  of  the  Saviour's  body,  for  I 
believe  when  we  begin  to  depreciate  the  corporeal  suff'er- 
ings,  we  very  soon  begin  to  drag  down  the  spiritual  suf- 
ferings too.  It  must  be  a  fearful  death  by  which  to 
die,  when  the  tender  hands  and  feet  are  pierced,  and 
when  the  bones  are  dislocated  by  the  jar  of  erecting 
the  cross,  and  when  the  fever  sets  in,  and  the  mouth 
becomes  as  hot  as  an  oven,  and  the  tongue  is  swollen  in 
the  mouth,  and  the  only  moisture  given  is  vinegar  min- 
gled with  gall.  Ah  !  beloved,  the  pangs  that  Jesus 
knew,  none  of  us  can  guess.  We  believe  that  Hart  has 
well  described  it  when  he  says  that  he  bore — 

"AH  that  incarnate  God  could  bear, 
With  strength  enough  and  none  to  spare." 

You  cannot  tell  the  price  of  griefs,  and  groans,  and 
sighs,  and  heart-breakings,  and  soul-tearings,  and  rend- 
ings  of  the  spirit,  which  Jesus  had  to  pay  that  he  might 
redeem  us  from  our  iniquities. 

It  ivas  a  lingering  death.  However  painful  a  death 
may  be,  it  is  always  satisfactory  to  think  that  it  is  soon 
over.  When  a  man  is  hanged,  after  our  English  custom, 
or  the  head  is  taken  from  the  body,  the  pain  may  be 


Christ  the  Tree  of  Life.  139 

great  for  the  instant,  but  it  is  soon  over  and  gone.  But 
in  crucifixion  a  man  hangs  so  long,  that  when  Pilate 
found  the  Saviour  dead,  he  marvelled  that  he  was  dead 
already.  I  remember  to  have  heard  a  missionary  say, 
that  he  saw  a  man  in  Burmah  crucified,  and  that  he  was 
alive  two  days  after  having  been  nailed  to  the  cross  'i 
and  I  believe  there  are  authenticated  stories  of  persons 
who  have  been  taken  down  from  the  cross  after  having 
hung  for  forty-eight  hours,  and  after  all  have  had  their 
wounds  healed,  and  have  lived  for  years.  It  was  a 
lingering  death  that  the  Saviour  had  to  die. 

Oh  !  my  brethren,  if  you  put  these  items  together, 
they  make  up  a  ghastly  total,  which  ought  to  press  upon 
our  hearts — if  we  be  believers,  in  the  form  of  grateful 
affection,  or  if  we  be  unbelievers,  provoking  us  to  shame 
that  we  do  not  love  him  who  loved  the  sons  of  men 
so  much. 

And  the  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  us,  we 
must  also  add,  was  penal.  He  died  the  death  of  the 
condemned.  Perhaps  most  men  would  feel  this  to  be 
the  worst  feature,  for  if  a  man  shall  die  by  never  so 
painful  a  death,  if  it  be  accidental  it  misses  the  sting 
which  must  come  into  it,  if  it  be  caused  by  law,  and  if 
especially  it  be  brought  by  sin,  and  after  sentence  has 
been  passed  in  due  form.  Now,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
was  condemned  by  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  tribunals 
of  the  country  to  die.  And  what  was  more — "  It 
pleased  the  Father  to  bruise  him  ;  he  hath  put  him  to 
grief."  Jesus  Christ  died  without  sin  of  his  own,  but 
he  died  a  penal  death,  because  our  sins  were  counted 
to  him.  He  took  upon  him  our  iniquities  as  though 
they  were  his  own,  and  then,  being  found  in  the  sin- 


1-iO  Types  and  Emblems. 

iier's  place,  he  suffered,  as  if  he  had  been  a  sinner,  the 
wrath  that  was  due  for  sin. 

Beloved,  I  wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  set  forth 
Christ  crucified — Christ  visibly  crucified  amongst  you  ! 
Oh  !  that  I  could  so  paint  him  that  the  eyes  of  your 
heart  could  see  him  !  I  wish  that  I  could  make  you 
feel  the  dolor  of  his  griefs,  and  sip  that  bitter  cup 
which  he  had  to  drain  to  the  dregs.  But,  if  I  cannot 
do  this,  it  shall  suffice  me  to  say  that  that  death  is  the 
only  hope  of  sinners.  Those  wounds  of  his  are  the  gates 
to  heaven.  The  smarts  and  sufferings  of  Immanuel  are 
the  only  expiatory  sacrifice  for  human  guilt.  Oh,  ye 
who  would  be  saved,  turn  your  eyes  hither.  Look  unto 
him  and  be  saved,  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth.  There  is 
life  in  a  look  at  him ;  but  there  is  life  nowhere  else. 
Despise  him,  and  you  perish.  Accept  him,  and  you 
shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  all  the  powers  of  hell 
devour  you.  Come,  guilty  souls  !  Jesus  wants  not  your 
tears  or  your  blood  ;  his  tears  can  cleanse  you  ;  his 
blood  can  purify  you.  If  your  heart  be  not  as  broken 
as  you  would  have  it,  it  is  his  broken  heart,  not  yours, 
that  shall  merit  heaven  for  you.  If  you  cannot  be  what 
you  would,  he  was  for  you  what  God  would  have  him. 
God  is  contented  with  him.  Be  you  contented.  Come 
and  trust  him  !  Oh,  now  may  delays  be  over  and 
difficulties  all  be  solved,  and  just  as  you  are,  without 
one  plea,  but  that  the  Saviour  bled,  come  to  your 
heavenly  father,  and  you  shall  be  accepted  in  the 
beloved. 

Thus,  then — Jesus  Christ  hanging  on  the  cross — is 
the  Tree  of  Life  in  its  winter. 

II.  And  now,  let  me  show  you,  as  I  may  be  enabled, 


Chriat  the  Tree  of  Life.  141 

THAT  SELFSAME  TREE  OF  LIFE  WHEN  IT  HAD  BLOSSOMED 
AND  BROUGHT  FORTH  FRUIT. 

There  he  stands — Jesus — still  Jesus — the  same,  and 
yet  how  changed !  The  same  Jesus,  but  clothed  with 
honor  instead  of  shame,  able  now  to  save  them  to  the 
uttermost  that  come  unto  him.  My  text  says  of  this 
tree  that  it  bears  twelve  manner  of  fruits.  I  suppose 
that  is  intended  to  signify  that  a  perfect  and  complete 
assortment  of  all  supplies  for  human  necessities  are  to 
be  found  in  Christ — all  sorts  of  mercies  for  all  sorts  of 
sinners  ;  all  kinds  of  blessings  to  suit  all  kinds  of  neces- 
sities. We  read  of  the  palm-tree,  that  every  bit  of  it  is 
useful,  from  its  root  to  its  fruit.  So  it  is  with  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  There  is  nothing  in  him  that  we  could 
afford  to  do  without.  There  is  nothing  about  Jesus 
that  is  extraneous  or  superfluous.  You  can  put  him  to 
use  in  every  part,  in  every  office,  in  every  relationship. 

A  tree  of  life  is  for  food.  Some  trees  yield  rich  fruit. 
Adam  in  the  garden  lived  only  on  the  fruit  of  the  field. 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  food  of  his  people,  and  what  dainties 
they  have  !  What  satisfying  food,  what  plenteous  food, 
what  sweet  food,  what  food  precisely  suitable  to  all 
the  wants  of  their  souls  Jesus  is !  As  for  manna,  it 
was  angels'  food  ;  but  what  shall  I  say  of  Christ  ?  He 
is  more  than  that ! 

"  Never  did  angels  taste  above, 
Redeeming  grace  and  dying  love." 

Oh  !  how  you  are  fed  !  The  flesh  of  God's  own  Son 
is  the  spiritual  meat  of  every  heir  of  heaven.  Hungry 
souls,  come  to  Jesus  if  you  would  be  fed. 

Jesus  gives  his  people  drink  also.  There  are  some 
tropical  trees  which,  as  soon  as  they  are  tapped,  yield 


142  Types  and  Einblems. 

liquids  as  sweet  and  rich  as  milk,  and  many  drink  and 
are  refreshed  by  them.  Jesus  Christ's  heart-blood  is  the 
wine  of  his  people.  The  atonement  which  he  has  per- 
fected by  his  sutferings  is  the  golden  cup  out  of  which 
they  drink,  and  drink  again,  till  their  mourning  souls 
are  made  glad,  and  their  fainting  souls  are  strengthened 
and  refreshed.  Jesus  gives  us  the  water  of  life — the 
wines  on  the  lees  well  reiined,  the  wine  and  nailk,  with- 
out money  and  without  price.  AVhat  a  tree  of  life  to 
yield  us  both  meat  and  drink  ! 

Jesus  is  a  tree  of  life  yielding  clothing  too.  Adam 
went  to  the  fig-tree  for  his  garments,  and  the  fig-leaves 
yielded  him  such  covering  as  they  could.  But  we  come 
to  Christ  and  we  find,  not  fig-leaves,  but  a  robe  of 
righteousness  that  is  matchless  for  its  beauty,  comely  in 
its  proportions ;  one  which  will  never  wear  out,  which 
exactly  suits  to  cover  our  nakedness  from  head  to  foot, 
and  when  we  put  it  on  makes  us  fair  to  look  upon,  even 
as  Christ  himself.  Oh,  ye  who  would  be  rearrayed  till 
ye  shall  be  fit  to  stand  among  the  courtiers  of  the 
skies,  come  ye  to  Jesus,  and  find  garments  from  the 
Tree  of  Life ! 

This  tree  also  yields  medicine.  "  The  leaves  thereof 
were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations."  Lay  a  plaster 
upon  my  wound,  and  if  it  be  but  the  plaster  of  King 
Jesus,  it  will  heal  it.  But  one  promise  from  his  lips  ; 
but  one  leaf  from  the  tree ;  but  one  word  from  his 
Spirit ;  but  one  drop  of  his  blood,  and  this  is  heaven's 
court-plaster  indeed.  It  is  true,  there  is  no  balm  in 
Gilead  ;  there  is  no  physician  there ;  and,  therefore,  the 
hurt  of  the  daughter  of  Israel's  people  was  not  healed. 
But  there  is  balm  in  Jesus  ;  there  /<? a  physician  at  Calva- 


Christ  the  Tree  of  Life.  143 

rj,  and  the  hurt  of  the  daughter  of  God's  people  shall  be 
healed  if  she  do  but  fly  to  Jesus  Christ  for  her  healing. 

And,  what  shall  I  more  saj  ?  Is  there  anything  else 
your  spirits  can  want  ?  Oh,  children  of  God,  Christ  is 
all  ?  Oh,  ye  ungodly  ones,  who  have  been  roaming  the 
wood,  there  to  find  the  tree  that  should  supply  your 
wants — stop  here.  This  "  apple-tree  among  the  trees  of 
the  wood  "  is  the  tree  which  your  souls  require.  Stay 
here,  and  you  shall  have  all  you  need.  For,  listen— this 
tree  yields  a  shelter  from  the  storm.  Other  trees  are 
dangerous  when  the  tempest  howls  ;  but  he  that  shelters 
beneath  the  tree  of  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  find  that  all  the 
thunder-bolts  of  God  shall  fly  by  him,  and  do  him  no 
injury.  He  cannot  be  hurt  that  clings  to  Jesus.  '  Hea- 
ven and  earth  should  sooner  pass  away  than  a  soul  be 
lost  that  hides  beneath  the  boughs  of  this  tree.  And 
oh,  you  who  have  hidden  thereto  shelter  from  the  wrath 
of  God,  let  me  remind  you  that  in  every  kind  of  danger 
it  will  also  yield  you  shelter ;  and  if  you  are  not  in 
danger,  yet  still  in  the  hot  days  of  care  you  shall  find 
the  shade  of  it  to  be  cool  and  genial. 

"  I  sat  down  under  the  shadow  with  great  delight,  and 
his  fruit  was  sweet  unto  my  taste.''  Get  Christ,  and 
you  have  got  comfort,  joy,  peace,  and  liberty  ;  and,when 
the  trouble  comes,  you  shall  find  shelter  and  deliverance 
by  coming  near  to  him.  He  is  the  tree  of  life,  then, 
yielding  twelve  manner  of  fruits,  those  fruits  being  al- 
ways ripe  and  always  ready,  for  they  ripen  every  month, 
all  being  free  to  all  who  desire  them,  for  the  leaves  are 
not  for  the  healing  of  some,  but  "  for  the  healing  of  the 
nations."  What  a  large  word  !  Then  there  are  enoudi  of 
these  leaves  for  the  healino^  of  all  the  nations  that  shall 


144  Types  and  Emblems. 

ever  come.  Oh  !  may  God  grant  that  none  of  you  mav 
die  from  spiritual  sickness  when  these  leaves  can  heal 
you,  and  may  none  of  you  be  filling  yourselves  with  the 
sour  grapes  of  this  world,  the  poisonous  grapes  of  sin, 
while  the  sweet  fruits  of  Christ's  love  are  waiting, 
which  would  refresh  you  and  satisfy  you. 

III.  And  now,  I  have  to  show  how  to  get  at  the 

FKUIT   OF   THIS    TREE   OF   LIFE. 

That  is  the  main  matter.  Little  does  it  boot  to  tell 
that  there  is  fruit,  unless  we  can  tell  how  it  can  be  got 
at.  Oh !  I  wish  that  some  here  really  wanted  to  know 
the  way,  but  I  am  afraid  many  care  very  little  about  it. 
Dr.  Payson  had  once  been  out  to  tea  with  one  of  his 
people,  who  had  been  particularly  hospitable  to  him, 
and  when  he  was  going,  the  doctor  said :  — "  Well,  now, 
Madam,  you  have  treated  me  exceedingly  well,  but  how 
do  you  treat  my  Master  ?  "  That  is  a  question  I  should 
like  to  put  to  some  of  you.  How  do  you  treat  my 
Master?  Why,  you  treat  him  as  if  he  were  not 
Christ,  as  if  you  did  not  want  him.  But,  you  do  need 
him.  May  you  find  him  soon,  for  when  you  come  to 
die,  you  will  want  him  then,  and  perhaps  then  you  may 
not  find  him. 

Well,  the  way  to  get  the  fruit  froin  this  tree  is  by 
faith.  That  is  the  hand  that  plucks  the  golden  apple. 
Canst  thou  believe  ?  That  is  the  thing.  Canst  thou 
believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God  ;  that  he  died  upon 
the  cross  ?  ''  Yes,"  sayest  thou,  *'  I  believe  that."  Canst 
thou  believe  that  in  consequence  of  his  sufferings  he  is 
able  to  save  ?  "  Ay,"  sayest  thou.  Canst  thou  believe 
that  he  will  save  thee  ?  Wilt  thou  trust  him  to  save 
thee?     If  so,  thou  art  saved.     If  thy  soul  comes  to 


Christ  the  Tree  of  Life,  145 

Jesus,  and  says— "  Mj  Lord,  I  believe  in  thee,  that 
thou  art  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost,  and  now  I  throw 
myself  upon  thee  "—that  is  faith.  When  Mr.  Andrew 
Fuller  was  going  to  preach  before  an  association,  he  rode 
to  the  meeting  on  his  horse.  There  had  been  a  good 
deal  of  rain,  and  the  rivers  were  very  much  swollen. 
He  got  to  one  river  which  he  had  to  cross.  He  looked 
at  it,  and  he  was  half  afraid  of  the  strong  current,  as' 
he  did  not  know  the  depth.  A  farmer,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  standing  by,  said  —''  It  is  all  right,  Mr.. 
Fuller  ;  you  will  get  through  it  all  right,  sir  ;  the  horse 
will  keep  its  feet."  Mr.  Fuller  went  in,  and  the  water 
got  up  to  the  girth,  and  then  up  to  the  saddle,  and  he 
began  to  get  uncomfortably  wet.  Mr.  Fuller  thought 
he  had  better  turn  round,  and  he  was  going  to  do  so, 
when  the  same  farmer  shouted—"  Go  on,  Mr.  Fuller; 
go  on ;  I  know  it  is  all  right ;  "  and  Mr.  Fuller  said, 
"  Then  I  will  go  on ;  I  will  go  by  faith."  Now,  sinner, 
it  is  very  like  that  with  you.  You  think  that  your  sins 
are  too  deep,  that  Christ  will  never  be  able  to  carry  you 
over  them  ;  but,  I  say  to  you — It  is  all  right,  sinner ; 
trust  Jesus,  and  he  will  carry  you  through  hell  itself,  if 
it  were  needful  and  possible.  If  you  had  all  the  sins  of 
all  the  men  that  have  ever  lived,  and  they  were  all  yours, 
if  you  could  trust  him,  Jesus  Christ  would  carry  you 
through  the  current  of  all  that  sin.  It  is  all  right,  man  ! 
Only  trust  Christ.  The  river  may  be  deep,  but  Christ's 
love.ia-de^er  still.  It  is  all  right,  man  !  Do  not  let 
the  devil  make  you  doubt  my  Lord  and  Master.  He  is 
a  liar  from  the  beginning,  and  the  father  of  lies,  but  my 
Master  is  faithful  and  true.  Rest  on  him  and  it  is  all 
right.  The  waves  may  roll,  the  river  may  seem  to 
7 


146  Tyjpes  and  Eiiiblems. 

be  deeper  tlian  you  thought  it  to  be,  and  rest  assured  it 
is  much  deeper  than  you  know  it  to  be.  But  the 
mighty  arm  of  Jesus — that  strong  arm  that  can  shake 
the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  move  the  pillars  thereof 
as  Samson  moved  the  pillars  of  Gaza's  gates — that 
strong  arm  can  hold  you  up,  and  bear  you  safely 
through,  if  you  do  but  cling  to  it,  and  rest  in  it.  Oh 
soul,  rest  in  Jesus,  and  you  are  saved  ! 

Once  again.  If  at  the  first  you  do  not  seem  to  get  this 
fruit  from  the  tree,  shake  it  by  prayer.  "  Oh  !  "  say 
you,  "  T  have  been  praying.''  Yes,  but  a  tree  does  not 
always  drop  its  fruit  at  the  first  shake  you  give  it. 
Shake  it  again,  man  ;  give  it  another  shake  !  And 
sometimes  when  the  tree  is  loaded,  and  is  pretty  firm 
in  the  earth,  you  have  to  shake  it  to  and  fro,  and  at  last 
you  plant  your  feet,  and  get  a  hold  of  it,  and  shake  it 
with  might  and  main,  till  you  strain  every  muscle  and 
sinew  to  get  the  fruit  down.  And  that  is  the  way  to 
pray.  Shake  the  tree  of  life  until  the  mercy  drops  into 
your  lap.  Christ  loves  for  men  to  beg  hard.  You  can- 
not be  too  importunate.  That  which  might  be  disa- 
greeable to  your  fellow-creatures  when  you  beg  of  them, 
will  be  agreeable  to  Christ.  Oh  !  get  ye  to  your  cham- 
bers ;  get  ye  to  your  chambers,  ye  that  have  not  found 
Christ !  To  your  bed-sides,  to  your  little  closets,  and 
"seek  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found  ;  call  ye  upon 
him  while  he  is  near  !  "  May  the  Spirit  of  God  con- 
strain you  to  pray.  May  he  constrain  you  to  continue 
in  prayer.  Jesus  must  hear  you.  The  gate  of  heaven  is 
open  to  the  sturdy  knocker  that  will  not  take  a  denial. 
The  Lord  enable  you  so  to  plead,  that  at  last  you  will 


Chr'ist  the  Tree  of  Life. 


147 


say — "  Thou  hast  heard  m}^  voice  and  my  supplication  ; 
Thou  hast  inclined  thine  ear  unto  me ;  therefore  will 
I  pray  unto  thee  as  long  as  I  live." 

May   God   add    his    blessing    to    these    rambling 
thoughts,  for  Jesus'  sake.    Amen. 


%  Sillg  iolie. 


Ephraim  also  is  like  a  silly  dove  without  heart." — HosEA  rii.  11 

HE  race  of  Ephraim  is  not  extinct.  Men  are  to 
this  day  very  much  like  what  they  were  in 
the  days  of  the  prophets.  The  same  rebukes 
are  still  suitable,  as  well  as  the  same  comforts. 
As  man  has  altered  very  little,  if  at  all,  in  his 
outward  bodily  conformation,  so  has  he  not  varied  in 
the  inner  constitution  ;  he  is  much  the  same  to-day  as 
he  was  in  the  time  of  Hosea.  In  this  congregation, 
in  the  midst  of  this  City  of  London,  we  have  too  large 
a  company  of  those  who  are  "  like  the  silly  dove  with- 
out heart." 

To  proceed  at  once  with  the  text,  I  want  you  to 
notice  four  things ;  first,  a  saintly  similitude  ;  secondly, 
a  secret  distinction  ;  thirdly,  a  severe  description  /  and 
lastly,  a  serious  consideration. 

I.  Here  we  have  a  saintly  similitude.  "  Ephraim 
is  like  a  dove."  The  people  are  not  compared  here  to 
the  eagle  that  soareth  aloft  and  scenteth  its  prey  from 
afar,  nor  to  the  vulture  which  delights  to  gorge  itself 
with  carrion ;  they  are  not  likened  to  any  foul  and 
unclean  bird  which  was  put  aside  under  the  law  ;  but 


A  Silly  Dove.  149 

the  very  figure  which  is  constantl}^  chosen  to  set  forth 
the  beauty  of  holiness,  to  describe  the  believer,  and  to 
picture  the  whole  church — nay,  that  very  emblem  by 
which  we  set  forth  him  who  is  holiness  itself,  God 
the  Holy  Spirit — that  same  comparison  to  a  dove  is 
here  used  to  describe  those  who  were  without  heart. 
"Ephraim  is  like  a  dove" — it  is  a  saintly  similitude. 
Let  me  remind  you  that  in  all  congregations  there  are 
those  who  are  like  doves,  but  not  Christ's  doves,  who 
never  build  their  nests  in  the  clefts  of  the  rock,  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Saviour.  They  are  like  doves ;  you  can 
never  tell  them  from  genuine  believers,  and  like  doves 
they  are  perfectly  harmless;  they  do  no  mischief  to 
others  in  their  lives.  Track  them,  if  you  will,  you 
will  never  find  them  in  the  ale-house ;  they  sing  not 
the  song  of  the  drunkard  ;  no  man  ever  loses  anything 
in  business  by  them.  Men  may  have  their  pockets 
picked  in  the  streets,  but  never  by  them.  Persons 
may  go  staggering  home  under  a  wound,  but  that 
wound  never  comes  from  their  hand ;  there  is  no 
uncleanness  in  their  heart,  and  no  slander  on  their 
tongue ;  they  are  amiable,  admirable  ;  we  might  almost 
hold  them  up  for  examples  of  propriety.  Alas !  alas  ! 
that  we  have  only  to  look  within  to  find  that  they  are 
not  what  they  seem. 

Moreover,  being  like  doves  for  harmlessness,  they 
are  also  like  them  for  loving  good  company.  We  find 
not  the  dove  flying  with  a  host  of  eagles,  but  it  con- 
sorts with  its  own  kind.  And  oh,  how  some  of  you 
are  never  happier  than  when  you  are  either  in  the 
Tabernacle  or  else  in  some  of  the  classes  formed  by 
various  members  of  the  congregation  !     You  also  find 


150  Types  and  Emblems. 

such  a  pleasant  excitement  in  the  prajer-meeting  that 
3^011  are  not  absent  from  it  except  when  you  are  pre- 
vented by  business.  You  love  being  where  God's 
people  go  ;  their  hymns  are  sweet  to  your  ears,  in 
their  prayers  you  find  some  sort  of  comfort,  and  in 
the  ministry  of  the  word  you  take  delight.  You  fly 
like  a  cloud  and  like  doves  to  their  windows,  and  it  is 
a  joy  to  us  to  see  you  do  it,  and  yet  it  may  be  that, 
although  you  know  how  to  congregate  like  doves,  you 
are  "  like  a  silly  dove  without  heart." 

Moreover,  these  persons  are  still  more  like  the  dove, 
in  that  they  have  the  same  meekness,  apparently,  as 
distinguishes  the  dove.  "  They  hear  as  my  people 
hear,  and  sit  as  my  people  sit."  They  are  not  sceptics ; 
they  never  object  to  the  exposition  of  the  doctrines  to 
which  they  listen  ;  they  pick  no  holes  in  the  preacher's 
coat — they  have  no  particular  fault  to  tind  either  with 
the  style  or  the  matter  of  his  discourse ;  they  decor- 
ously frequent  the  house  of  God,  and  behave  themselves 
in  a  seemly  manner  when  there ;  nay,  more  than  that, 
they  do  seem  with  meekness  to  receive  the  word, 
though  they  do  not  receive  it  as  engrafted  into  their 
own  hearts ;  they  even  receive  it  with  joy  when  the 
seed  is  scattered  on  them,  but  having  no  root  in  them- 
selves, the  good  seed  comes  to  nothing.  Oh,  my  dear 
hearers,  it  is  a  great  subject  for  thanksgiving  that  so 
many  of  you  are  ready  and  willing  to  listen  to  the 
word  with  deep  and  profound  respect ;  but  I  do  beseech 
you  to  remember  that  you  may  in  this  be  like  unto  the 
dove,  and  yet,  after  all  that,  you  may  be  taken  in  the 
same  net  and  destroyed  with  the  same  destruction  as 


A  Silly  Dove.  161 

that  which  fell  upon  the  Ephraimites,  who  were  "  like 
a  silly  dove  without  heart." 

The  dove,  you  know,  is  a  cleanly  feeder,  and  so  we 
have  many  who  get  as  far  as  that.  They  know  the 
distinction  between  the  precious  and  the  vile  ;  they 
will  not  feed  on  law,  they  can  only  live  on  grace ;  they 
have  come  to  know  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  and 
they  feed  on  them — upon  pure  corn  well  winnowed. 
You  have  only  to  bring  in  a  little  free-will,  and  straight- 
Avay  they  know  the  chaff  from  the  wheat,  and  refuse 
to  receive  it ;  they  cast  it  away  as  refuse  metal,  which 
is  of  no  value  to  them.  But,  while  they  have  an  or- 
thodox head,  they  have  a  heterodox  heart ;  while  they 
know  the  truth  and  feel  it,  yet  still  it  is  not  the  right 
kind  of  feeling;  they  have  never  so  received  it  as  to 
incorporate  it  into  their  very  being ;  they  have  accepted 
it  with  the  same  sort  of  belief,  and  in  somewhat  the 
same  manner,  as  Simon  did  in  Samaria ;  but,  after 
awhile,  when  trouble  and  persecution  shall  come,  and 
w^ax  too  hot,  they  will  turn  aside. 

But,  I  have  to  add  yet  further  here,  that  there  are 
some  of  these  persons  w4io  are  like  doves  in  another 
respect  still  more  singular.  As  a  dove  is  molested  by 
all  sorts  of  birds  of  prey,  so  these  persons  do  for  a  time 
share  the  lot  which  befalls  the  people  of  God.  Why, 
there  are  some  who  for  the  mere  coming  to  the  house 
of  God  get  nicknamed.  They  are  not  saints,  but  they 
have  to  bear  the  rebuke  of  saints;  and  I  know  some, 
who  have  turned  out  great  sinners,  that  have  for  a 
time  put  up  with  much  scoffing  and  rebuke  for  the 
sake  of  Christ.  When  pointed  at  in  the  street,  it  has 
been  part  of  the  manliness  of  their  character  to  acknowl- 


152  Types  and  Emblems. 

edge  that  tliey  did  frequent  such  a  place  of  worship. 
Though  their  soul  has  never  been  stricken  by  the  divine 
word,  yet  it  has  become  so  sweet  in  their  ear,  that  they 
are  willing  to  bear  some  degree  of  reproach  and  scoff- 
ing for  the  sake  of  it.  I  should  not  like  to  be  com- 
pelled to  say  precisely  wherein  the  saint  is  to  be  dis- 
tinguished by  outward  signs,  for  really  the  counterfeits 
now-a-days  are  so  much  like  the  genuine,  that  it  shall 
need  the  wisdom  of  the  infallible  God  himself  to  dis- 
cern between  the  one  and  the  other.  We  can  have 
false  faith,  false  repentance,  false  hope,  and  false  good 
works.  We  have  all  sorts  of  shammings — paint,  var- 
nish, tinsel — and  we  may  so  grain  that  a  skilful  eye 
shall  scarcely  know  whether  it  is  the  genuine  wood  or 
the  artists'  skill.  There  are  ways  of  preparing  metals, 
and  sometimes  the  alloy  shall  seem  to  have  in  it  for 
some  purposes  qualities  which  the  unalloyed  metal 
might  lack.  O  Lord,  searcher  of  hearts,  do  thou  search 
us,  lest  we  should  have  applied  to  us  saintly  names, 
and  possess  a  saintly  reputation  and  character,  and  hold 
saintly  offices,  and  after  all  be  cast  away  with  the  rub- 
bish over  the  wall,  and  left  to  be  consumed  for  ever  and 
ever !     But,  enough  on  that  point. 

II.  We  have  now  to  call  your  attention  to  a  secret 
DISTINCTION.     ''  Ephraim  is  like  a  dove  without  JieartP 

This  implies  a  lack  of  understanding.  The  dove 
knows  but  little,  and  experience  scarcely  teaches  it 
anything.  We  may  almost  spread  the  snare  in  the 
sight  of  that  bird,  and  yet  it  will  fly  to  it ;  it  is  so  silly. 
It  does  not  seem  to  possess,  at  least  to  the  outward 
eye,  the  wits  and  senses  of  some  others  of  the  feathered 
tribe.     It  has  little  or  no  understanding.     And  oh, 


A  iSilly  Dove.  153 

how  many  there  are  who  are  like  the  dove  externally, 
and  have  no  real  knowledge  of  the  truth  !  They  rest 
in  the  letter,  and  think  that  is  enough.  I  solemnly 
believe  that  there  are  thousands  that  have  not  the 
shadow  of  an  idea  of  the  meaning  of  the  words  which 
they  hear  every  Sabbath-day  in  a  form  of  prayer. 
They  go  through  those  prayers ;  that  they  would  do 
if  the  words  were  put  in  any  other  way.  Doubtless 
they  would  get  as  much  good  out  of  them,  if  they  were 
thrown  together  in  wild  disorder,  as  they  do  out  of 
the  beautiful  and  magnificent  array  in  which  they  are 
marshalled.  Many  who  come  and  hear  the  most  sim- 
ple prayers  go  away  and  say,  "  It  is  a  riddle  to  me ;  I 
cannot  understand  how  people  will  sit  and  listen  to 
that."  Either  they  condemn  them  as  trite  or  else  as 
fanatical.  They  cannot  understand  them.  You  may 
fetch  a  clodhopper,  and  set  before  him  the  masterpiece 
of  an  eminent  old  painter,  and  tell  him,  '•  That  picture 
is  worth  sixty  thousand  pounds."  He  looks,  opens  his 
mouth,  stares  again,  and  says  he  can't  make  anything 
of  it;  he  can't  see  where  the  money  could  go.  He'd 
sooner  have  carts,  and  horses,  and  pigs,  and  cows,  and 
sheep.  He  sees  nothing  in  that.  Well,  now,  to  some 
extent,  we  might  almost  sympathize  with  him ;  but 
the  high  art  critics  despise  the  man  at  once  for  having 
no  soul  above  his  clod.  And,  it  is  just  the  same  in 
spiritual  things.  Exhibit  the  glories  of  the  person  of 
Christ,  and  the  matchless  wisdom  of  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion ;  that  man  can  see  nothing  in  it ;  "  It  is,  no  doubt, 
a  very  good  and  very  proper  thing,"  he  will  attend  to 
it,  and  so  on ;  and  then  he  goes  to  church,  and  thinks 
he  is  pious,  sits  in  his  seat,  and  goes  through  the  rou- 
7* 


154  Types  and  Eiiiblems. 

tine,  and  then  supposes  he  is  reconciled  to  God.  Oh  ! 
how  many  such  silly  doves  we  have  fluttering  in  and 
out  of  our  places  of  worship.  As  a  quaint  old  preacher 
said,  there  were  scarce  seats  for  the  saints  on  account 
of  the  number  of  simpletons  that  came  to  listen. 

But,  again,  they  were  silly  doves  without  heart, 
because,  lacking  an  understanding  heart,  they  also 
lacked  a  decided  heart.  Sometimes,  however,  the  dove 
would  be  slandered  if  we  should  use  her  as  a  metaphor 
in  this  respect.  Have  you  not  seen  the  dove,  when, 
from  afar,  with  her  quick  eye,  she  has  seen  her  cot, 
fly  straight  away,  over  miles  of  sea  and  land,  straight 
to  her  beloved  home  ?  There  she  could  not  be  used 
as  a  metaphor  of  the  ungodly,  but  of  a  child  of  Jesus, 
who  thus  flies  to  him  over  the  wild  waves  of  sin.  But, 
perhaps,  you  have  seen  the  dove  as  first  she  rises  in  the 
air,  and  then  flies  round  and  round.  She  deliberates 
in  order  to  find  out  which  is  the  right  direction,  and, 
when  she  has  made  up  her  mind,  away  she  flies  straight 
as  an  arrow  to  the  goal.  But,  while  she  is  fluttering 
about,  she  is  an  apt  emblem  of  some  men.  They  are 
undecided  whether  for  God  or  Baal.  They  halt,  to 
use  Elijah's  figure,  between  two  opinions.  "How 
long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions  ?  If  God  be  God 
serve  him,  but  if  Baal,  then  follow  him."  On  Sun- 
days they  go  to  church,  but  on  Mondays  they  put  it 
off";  the  weather  is  too  rough,  or  something  else  pre- 
vents them  going  to  the  prayer-meeting.  On  Sunday 
they  say — 

"  My  willing-  soul  would  stay 
In  such  a  frame  as  this, 
And  sit  and  sing  herself  away, 
To  everlasting  bliss." 


A  SUly  Dove.  155 

But,  on  Monday  or  Tuesday  the  sound  of  the  wheels 
in  the  street,  and  the  noise  of  them  that  buy  and  sell, 
put  the  music  of  Jerusalem  out  of  their  ears,  and  they 
would  fain  go  back  to  the  world  again.  Ah,  they  are 
silly  doves,  without  understanding  and  without  decision. 
Nay,  there  are  some  who  may  be  said  to  have  a  sort  of 
decision  for  a  time  ;  but  they  are  like  the  dove,  in  that 
they  are  without  resolution.  The  dove  seeks  to  fly  in  one 
direction ;  somebody  claps  his  hands  and  she  changes 
in  a  moment ;  or  else  he  sprinkles  a  handful  of  barley 
on  the  ground,  and,  though  she  was  flying  yonder,  she 
is  over  here  again.  How  many  persons  there  are  of 
that  kind,  setting  their  faces  to  Zion,  intending  to  join 
the  church  ;  perhaps  they  have  seen  the  elders  and  the 
pastor,  and  been  accepted  ;  but,  after  a  little  time,  they 
say,  "  Well,  they  did  not  know  all  about  it ;  there  are 
more  frightful  things  than  they  dreamt  of  in  it !  '* 
Like  Pliable,  they  would  go  to  heaven,  but  they  get 
into  the  Slough  of  Despond,  and  there  is  queer  stuff 
there  that  gets  into  the  ears  and  mouth,  and  so  they 
get  out  on  the  side  nearest  home,  and  tell  Christian  he 
may  have  the  brave  country  all  to  himself,  for  they 
don't  like  the  miry  places  on  the  way.  Or,  it  may  be, 
that  some  old  companion  comes  up  from  the  country, 
and  he  will  treat  them  to  some  place  of  amusement ; 
or,  perhaps,  it  may  be  stronger  than  that.  Or  there 
is  the  gain  to  be  got  in  some  branch  of  business  that  is 
not  quite  so  honest  as  it  might  be;  but  does  not  the 
money  count  as  well  ?  Isn't  it  as  good  to  spend  ?  Will 
not  other  men  think  it  worth  twenty  shillings  to  the 
pound,  however  it  may  have  been  gained  ?  These 
people,  who  seemed  so  true  and  warm-hearted,  are  like 


156  Types  and  Emblems. 

the  silly  dove  without  resolution,  and  fly  away  again  to 
their  old  haunts  and  become  just  what  they  used  to  be. 

So  likewise  there  are  nian}-,  like  a  dove,  without 
bold  hearts.  They  never  turn  upon  a  persecutor. 
They  never  stood  in  the  gap  with  Mr.  Yaliant-for- 
Truth,  holding  the  sword  in  their  hand.  The^^  can- 
not open  their  mouth  to  speak  for  Jesus,  but  they  run 
away  when  they  ought  to  stand  out  like  a  lion  against 
their  foes ;  they  never  give  a  reason  for  the  hope  that 
is  in  them.  We  have  plenty  of  Baptist  churches  edu- 
cating cowards  by  the  score.  They  never  come  out 
before  the  whole  church — that  would  be  too  trying 
for  their  nerves.  They  are  never  expected  to  come  out 
boldly  on  the  Lord's  side.  Too  often  baptism  is  admin- 
istered somewhere  in  a  corner,  when  as  few  as  possible 
are  present ;  and,  in  that  way,  where  we  ought  to  have 
lion-like  men,  we  breed  those  who  hide  their  principles, 
and  are  ready  to  amalgamate  with  any  sect  of  people 
so  long  as  they  can  but  bear  the  name  of  Christians. 
I  would  to  God,  dear  friends,  we  had  bolder  men  for 
our  Lord  and  Master.  Be  as  full  of  love  as  you  can, 
but  take  care  that  you  mix  iron  with  your  constitution. 
Silly  are  the  doves  that  have  no  bold  heart  for  God. 
The  day  will  come  when  only  the  bold  heart  shall  win, 
and  the  faint  heart  shall  be  shut  out  as  the  fearful  and 
imbelieving,  who  are  to  have  their  portion  in  the  lake 
that  burnetii  with  fire  and  brimstone. 

Too  many,  also,  there  are  like  a  silly  dove,  in  that 
they  have  a  powerless  heart.  If  you  visit  a  great 
manufactory  where  there  is  a  large  engine,  you  will 
notice  that  the  amount  of  power  used  in  the  factory  is 
proportionate  to  the  capacity  of  the  steam  engine.     If 


A  Silly  Dave.  157 

that  should  work  but  feebly,  then  the  wheels  cannot 
revolve  beyond  a  proportionate  rate,  and  every  part 
soon  discovers  that  there  is  some  lack  of  motive  force. 
Now,  man's  heart  is  the  great  steam-engine  of  his  whole 
being  ;  and  if  he  has  a  heart  that  palpitates  with  swiit 
strokes  it  will  set  his  whole  nature  in  motion,  and  that 
man  will  be  mighty  for  his  Lord  and  Master;  but  if 
he  has  a  little,  insignilicant  heart  that  never  did  glow, 
and  never  did  burn,  and   never  did  know  anything 
about  the  warmth,  and  life,  and  heat,  and  power,  and 
benediction  of  God^s  love,  then  he  will  fritter  away  his 
time,  knowing  the  right  and  doing  the  wrong,  loving 
in  some  sort  the  thing  that  is  beautiful,  but  still  fol- 
lowing that  which  is  deformed ;  giving  his  name  to 
God,  and  giving  what  little  strength  he  has  to  the 
other  side.     Brethren,  I  would  to  God  there  were  not 
so  many  in  all  our  communities  that  have  but  a  pig- 
eon's heart,  or  a  dove's  heart,  or  no  heart  at  all.     The 
root  of  the  matter  lies  here :  these  Ephraimites  have 
not  renewed  hearts,  and  so  they  fail.     Yerily,  verily, 
it  is  true  to  this  hour  as  in  Jesu's  day,  "  Except  a  man 
be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Men  do  strive  to  see  it  in  their  own  way.     But,  until 
the  effectual  grace  of  God  comes  down  to  turn  their 
hearts  from  the  great  and  extraordinary   confidence 
which  their  proud  flesh  has  in  their  own  works,  they 
never  will  see,  they  never  can  see,  the  kingdom  of 
God.     How  many  like  Ephraim,  then,  have  the  heart 
altogether  wrong  because  it  is  not  renewed  ;  therefore 
it  has  none  of  those  qualifications  which  tend  to  make 
the  man  what  he  should  be. 

III.  With  great  brevity,  we  notice,  in  the  third  place, 


158  .  Types  and  Emblems. 

A  SEVERE  DESCRIPTION.  "  Ephraiiii  is  like  a  silly  dove." 
It  is  a  fine  word,  that  word  *' silly."  Hardly  do  I 
know  another  that  is  so  eminently  descriptive.  There 
may  be  some  sort  of  dignity  in  being  a  fool,  but  to  be 
silly — to  attract  no  attention  except  ridicule — is  so 
utterly  bad,  that  I  do  not  know  how^  a  more  sarcastic 
epithet  could  be  applied.  "  Ephraim  is  like  a  silly 
dove  without  heart."  And  why  silly  ?  Why,  it  is 
silly,  of  course,  to  profess  to  be  a  dove  at  all,  unless  a 
dove  at  heart ;  silly  of  you  to  enslave  yourselves  with 
the  customs  of  a  country  of  which  you  are  not  a  citi- 
zen— to  bind  yourselves  with  the  rules  of  a  family  of 
which  you  are  not  a  member.  We  find  men,  when 
they  go  to  another  country,  if  there  is  a  conscription 
there,  only  too  willing  to  plead  their  own  nationality, 
in  order  to  escape  it ;  and  yet  we  have  persons  who 
will  serve  in  the  Christian  conscription,  who  give  as 
God's  people  give,  and  outwardly  do  what  God's  peo- 
ple do,  and  yet  they  are  not  of  the  nation,  but  are 
aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel.  Is  not  this 
silly — to  take  the  irksome  toil,  and  not  to  get  the  joy 
and  the  benefit  of  it  ?  You  are  silly  to  go  and  work 
in  the  vineyard,  though  you  have  never  eaten  of  the 
clusters,  and  never  can  unless  your  heart  be  set  right 
in  the  sight  of  God.  Isn't  it  silly,  then,  to  profess  to 
be  a  dove  at  all,  and  3'et  not  to  be  a  dove  ?  Isn't  it 
silly,  again,  to  think  you  can  pass  muster  when  your 
heart  is  wrong — to  fancy  that  if  you  fly  with  the  crowd 
you.  shall  enter  heaven  without  being  seen  ?  Dost 
thou  think  to  deceive  Omniscience  ?  Dost  thou  think 
Infallible  wisdom  will  not  discern  thee  ?  Dost  thou 
think  to  enter  heaven  while  thy  soul  is  estranged  from 


A  Silly  Dove.  159 

God?     Then,  indeed,  thou  art  worse  than  a  fool ;  thou 
art  '*  silly  "  to  think  such  a  thing.     How  canst  thou 
thus  hope  to  deceive  thy  God  ?     What  more  silly  than 
to  play  fast  and  loose  in  this  way  ?     Silly  to  sing  the 
song  of  Zion  ;   and  then  the  song  of  lasciviousness. 
There  is  something  dignified  even  in  the  devil  himself; 
there  is  something  awful  about  the  grandeur  of  his 
wickedness,  because  he  is  consistent  in  it ;  but,  there 
is  nothing  of  that  in  you,  because  you  are  here  and 
there,  everywhere  and  nowhere.     You  are  this  and 
that— everything  by  turns  and  nothing   long.     And 
don't  you  see  what  you  do  ?     Some  of  you  are  so  silly 
as  to  hasten  your  own  condemnation.     You  know  that 
to  be  without  God  and  without  Christ  will  ruin  you, 
and  yet  you  do  that  which  keeps  you  from  going  to 
Christ;  you   hug  the   sins  that  prevent  your   laying 
hold  on  him,  and  still  dandle  upon  your  knee  the  lusts 
which  you  know  will  shut  the  gates  of  heaven  against 
you.     Like  Ephraim  you  are  silly  enough  to  trust  in 
that  which  will  be  your  ruin.     Some  of  you  rest  upon 
good   works,  or   hope   to  be  saved  by  good  feelings. 
You  go  to  Egypt  and  to  Assyria.     The  two  powers 
which  had  oppressed  Ephraim  were  still  the  powers  in 
which  he  trusted.     You  are  silly  again,  because  when 
there  is  so  much  danger  you  do  not  fly  to  the  place  of 
shelter.     O  silly  dove,  when  the  hawk  is  abroad  not  to 
seek  the  clefts  of  the  rock  to  hide  itself  in  its  dove-cot  1 
And  how  silly  are  some  of  you  'i     Day  after  day,  year 
after  year,  Satan  is  hawking  after  you ;  the  great  fowler 
is  seeking  your  destruction  ;  but  the  wounds  of  Christ 
are  open  to  you,  and  the  invitation  of  the  gospel  is 
freely   given   to   you,  and   yet,  so  silly  are  you,  that 


160  Tyjpes  and  Enibleins. 

though  you  know  better,  you  prefer  the  pleasures  of 
the  day  to  the  joys  of  eternity.  Yet  I  know  not  that 
you  do  prefer  them,  only  somehow  or  other  you  are 
too  silly  to  take  the  preference,  and  you  go  on  like  a 
child  that  is  playing  on  the  hole  of  the  cockatrice, 
making  mirth  over  your  damnation,  too  artless,  too 
silly  to  make  up  your  minds  either  for  heaven  or  hell. 
I  know  there  are  some  such  in  this  house.  Would 
God  that  the  arrow  would  find  out  the  right  persons  ; 
but  too  often  these  doves  are  so  silly  in  another  respect 
that  they  will  not  let  the  appeals  come  home  to  them. 
They  say,  '*  It  can't  be  for  me,  for  I  go  to  Mr.  A's  or 
Mrs.  B's  class ;  it  can't  be  for  me,  for  I  go  to  the 
prayer-meeting ;  I  contribute  to  the  College,  and  every 
good  work ; "  yet  all  the  while  it  means  just  you  w^ho 
act  upon  your  own  whims,  but  not  for  God,  who  give 
God  anything  but  your  heart,  who  are  ready  to  make 
a  sacrifice  of  all,  except  that  you  refuse  that  which  he 
asks  of  you — "My  son,  give  me  thine  heart."  It  was 
considered  to  be  a  sign  of  great  calamity  when  the 
Roman  augur  slew  a  bullock  and  found  no  heart,  and 
it  is  the  worst  of  all  calamities  when  a  man  has  no 
heart  to  give  to  God.  "  This  people  draweth  nigh  to 
me  with  their  lips,  but  their  heart  is  far  from  me,"  is 
one  of  the  complaints  against  Israel  of  old,  and  one  of 
the  sins  which  n:iade  the  prophets  weep,  and  Jerusalem 
to  be  ploughed  like  a  field. 

lY.  I  close  with  just  a  word  upon  the  fourth  point, 
and  that  is,  a  sekious  considera.tion.  There  are  one  or 
two  things  I  would  say  solemnly,  softly,  and  hope- 
fully. O  that  they  may  stick  upon  the  memory  and 
the  conscience  of  many. 


A  Silly  Dove.  161 

Those  of  you,  my  hearers,  who  have  been  long  sitting 
in  this  tabernacle,  some  of  you  ever  since  it  was  built, 
and  before  then  in  other  places  under  our  ministry  for 
many  years  past,  and  yet  are  just  the  same  as  you  used 
to  be,  ought  to  recollect  how  sadly  we  look  on  those 
who  are°not  saved.     It  is  no  rare  thing  to  find  tlie 
attendant  of  the  sanctuary  an  unbeliever.     It  is  a  com- 
mon thing  to  find  the  child  of  converted  parents,  the 
lad  educated  at  the  Sabbath-school,  the  man  who  has 
always  had  a  seat  in  God's  house,  still  having  no  hope 
and  without  God  in  the  world.     Think  of  that !     Be 
not  deceived;  the  gospel  will  harden  such  people  as 
you  are.     Speaking  after  the  manner  of  men  (for  with 
God  all  things  are  possible,  and  a  sovereign  God  doeth 
as  he  wills),  it  does  seem  less  and  less  probable  that  you 
ever  should  be  called  by  grace  after  you  have  sat  and 
listened  •:o  the  Word  so  long.  The  voice  that  did  startle 
now  soothes  you  ;  the  manner  that  once  attracted  the 
eye,  and  sometimes  seemed  to  touch  the  heart,  fails  to 
do  either  ;  and  the  very  truth  that  once  went  over  your 
heads  like  a  crash  of  thunder  has  so  little  force  in  it 
now,  that  you  sleep  under  the  sound  thereof.     Think 
of  that,  you  that  are  like  a  silly  dove  without  heart. 
Kemember,  too,  that  some  of  the  vilest  sinners  that  have 
ever  lived  have  been  manufactured   out  of  this  raw 
material.     Some  of  the  grossest  men  were  once  credu- 
lous and  apparently  meek-hearted  hearers  of  the  Word, 
but  they  sat  under  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  till  they 
grew  ripe  enough  to  deny  God  and  curse  him.     The 
unsanctified  hearing  of  the  gospel  has  sometimes  pro- 
duced more  gigantic  specimens  of  sin  than  the  deaf  ear 
of  the  adder.  Beware,  my  hearer !  I  know  you  will  say 


162  Types  and  ErnUems. 

with  Hazael,  "  Am  I  a  dog  that  I  should  do  this  thing  ?  " 
Yes,  there  is  dog  and  devil  enough  in  you,  unless 
you  have  been  changed  by  grace,  to  do  that  thing  and 
twenty  other  things  that  you  have  never  dreamt  of 
yet.  Think  what  a  multitude  of  souls  in  hell  there  are 
like  you — silly  doves  without  heart.  Many  of  the  pop- 
ulation of  that  place  of  wailing  once  heard  the  gospel, 
heard  it  with  gladness,  and  received  it  for  a  time.  But 
they  had  no  root,  and  so  the  impression  withered  away. 
They  never  had  been  called  eifectually  by  grace,  and 
never  had  been  renewed,  although  they  had  all  the  out- 
ward semblances  of  holiness.  They  have  gone  !  You 
might  hear  their  howls  if  ye  had  ears.  Hark !  Even 
now,  your  soul  may  listen  to  their  groans  and  moans, 
the  lesson  of  all  which  would  be,  "  Make  your  calling 
and  election  sure,  and  be  not  satisfied  with  the  name 
to  live  while  you  are  dead."  May  the  Spirit  of  the 
living  God  stir  you  up  to  this ;  for,  if  not,  I  have  one 
more  consideration — Bemeinber  hoio  soon  you  may 
he  in  hell  yourself.  And  they  who  go  there,  if  they 
have  been  such  as  you  are,  go  there  with  a  vengeance. 
To  go  from  under  the  shadow  of  the  pulpit  is  terrible. 
To  go  from  the  sacramental  cup  in  the  church  to  drink 
the  cup  of  devils ;  from  the  song  of  saints  to  the  weep- 
ing, and  waihng,  and  gnashing  of  teeth  of  lost  souls ; 
from  all  the  hallowed  joys  of  God's  Sabbath,  of  God's 
house,  and  of  his  Word,  down  to  the  unutterably  infamy 
of  spirits  that  have  no  love  to  God,  but  curse  him  day 
and  night — my  hearers,  that  may  be  your  lot  within  an 
hour,  a  week,  a  year.  It  matters  not  what  the  period 
may  be,  for,  if  it  ever  be  your  lot,  the  time  past  shall 
seem  to  have  been  but  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  for  its 


A  Silly  Dove, 


163 


joy,  though  it  may  appear  to  you  to  have  been  ages 
for  the  awful  responsibility  which  the  day  of  mercy 
will  have  entailed  upon  you.  "  Repent  and  be  baptized 
every  one  of  you."  As  Peter  said  so  say  I.  If  we  have 
not  as  yet  received  Christ,  lay  hold  on  eternal  life,  and 
oh  that  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God,  while  I  generally 
preach  the  Word,  may  particularly  apply  it,  finding 
out  his  own  chosen  and  gathering  them  out  of  the  ruins 
of  the  Fall,  that  they  may  be  jewels  in  the  crown  of 
the  Redeemer.  The  Lord  make  us  doves,  but  God 
forbid  that  we  should  be  "  silly  doves  without  heart." 


§nx 


aniur. 


"  Thou  hast  given  a  banner  to  them  that  fear  thee,  that  it  may 
be  displayed  because  of  the  truth," — Psalm  Ix.  4. 


OST   writers   upon    this  Psalm,   after    having 
referred  the  banner  to  the  kingdom  of  David, 
.  ^  say    that    there   is   here   a   reference   to   the 

^"^  ^  Messiah.  We  beh'eve  there  is.  Xor  is  that 
reference  an  obscure  alhision.  In  the  Lord 
Jesus  we  find  the  clue  to  the  history  and  the  solution 
to  the  prophecy.  He  is  the  banner — he  is  the  ensign 
that  is  lifted  up  before  the  people.  He  is  the  Jehovah 
Nissi,  "  the  Lord  my  banner,"  whom  it  is  our  joy  to 
follow,  and  around  whom  it  is  our  delight  to  rally. 
We  shall  not  stay  to  prove  this,  though  we  might 
readily  do  so.  The  banner  here  intended  is  no  other 
than  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  majesty  of  his  per- 
son— in  the  efficacy  of  his  merit — in  the  completeness 
of  his  righteousness — in  the  sureness  of  his  triumph — 
in  the  glory  of  his  advent.  If  you  read  it,  with  an  eye 
to  him,  you  have  the  meaning  at  once :  "  Thou  hast 
given  Christ  as  a  banner  to  them  that  fear  thee,  to  be 
displayed  because  of  the  truth."  Now  let  us  consider 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ — first,  as  he  is  compared  to  a 


Out  Banner,  165 

banner;  secondly,  by  whom  he  is  given ;  thirdly,  to 
whom  he  is  given;  and  iowrWvlj ,  for  what  purpose. 

I.  The  banner  was  far  more  useful,  I  suppose,  in 
ancient  than  it  is  in  modern  warfare.  Times  have 
changed,  and  we  are  changed  by  them.  Yet  we  speak 
with  reverence  still  of  the  old  flag.  There  is  still  some 
meaning  when  we  say—"  The  flag  that's  braved  a  thou- 
sand years  the  battle  and  the  breeze."  The  soldier  still 
loves  the  flag  of  his  country,  and  the  sailor  still  looks 
with  patriotic  pride  to  the  flag  that  so  long  floated  at 
England's  mast  head.  Our  metaphor,  however,  rather 
points  to  ancient  than  present  usage. 

We  should  notice,  first  of  all,  that  the  banner  was 
lifted  up  and  displayed  as  the  point  of  union.  When 
a  leader  was  about  to  gather  troops  for  a  war  he  hoisted 
his  banner,  and  then  every  man  rallied  to  the  standard. 
The  coming  to  the  standard,  the  rallying  round  the 
banner,  was  the  joining  with  tlie  Prince,  the  espousing 
his  cause.  In  the  day  of  battle,  when  there  was  ever  a 
difficulty  and  a  likelihood  that  the  host  would  be  put  to 
flight,  the  valiant  men  all  fought  around  the  banner. 
Its  defence  was  of  the  first  and  chief  consequence. 
They  might  leave  the  baggage  for  awhile,  they  might 
forsake  the  smaller  flags  of  the  divisions,  but  the  great 
banner,  the  blood-red  banner  that  with  prayer  had  been 
consecrated — they  must  all  gather  round  it  and  there 
shed  their  best  blood.  Christ,  my  brethren,  is  the 
point  of  union  for  all  the  soldiers  of  the  cross.  I  know 
of  no  other  place  where  all  Christians  can  meet.  We 
cannot  all  meet — I  am  sorry  that  we  cannot — at  the 
baptismal  stream.  There  are  some  who  will  not  be 
baptized.     The^r  persist  still  in  the  sin  of  putting  drops 


166  Types  and  Emhlems. 

of  water  for  the  ordained  flood,  and  bringing  infants 
where  faith  is  required.  We  cannot  all  meet  even  around 
the  table  of  the  Eucharist ;  there  are  some  who  put 
aside  their  brethren,  because  thej  do  not  see  eye  to  eye 
with  them ;  and  even  the  table  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
has  become  sometimes  a  field  of  battle.  But,  we  can 
meet  in  the  person  of  Christ ;  all  true  hearts  can  meet 
in  the  work  of  Christ.  This  is  a  gospel  that  we  all  love, 
if  we  be  Christians,  and  far  hence  be  those  who  are  not. 
Hither  to  thy  cross,  O  Jesus,  do  we  come.  The  church- 
man, laden  with  his  many  forms  and  vestments  ;  the 
Presbyterian,  with  his  stern  covenant  and  his  love  of 
those  who  stained  the  heather  with  their  blood  ;  the 
Independent,  with  the  passion  for  free  liberty  and  the 
separateness  of  the  churches;  the  Methodist,  with  his 
various  intricate  forms  of  church  Government,  some- 
times forms  of  bondage,  but  still  forms  of  power ;  the 
Baptist,  remembering  the  ancient  pedigree  and  the  days 
in  which  his  fathers  were  hounded  even  by  Christians 
themselves,  and  counted  not  worthy  of  that  name — they 
come,  they  come  !  Multitudes  of  opinion  divide  them  ; 
they  see  not  eye  to  eye ;  here  and  there  they  will  have 
a  skirmish  for  the  old  landmarks ;  and  rightly  so,  for 
we  ought  to  be  jealous,  as  Josiah  was,  to  do  that  which 
is  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  neither  decline 
to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left.  But,  to  the  cross ! 
To  the  cross !  To  the  cross  !  and  then,  all  weapons 
of  internecine  war  being  cast  aside,  we  are  brethren, 
fellow-comrades  in  blessed  evangelical  alliance ;  we  are 
prepared  to  suffer  and  to  do  for  his  dear  sake.  For- 
ward then.  Christians,  to  the  point  of  union !  Much 
as  I  value  thorough  reformation  in  times  of  peace,  little 


Our  Banner.  167 

care  for  I  angbt  beside  the  cross  in  the  day  we  defend 
our  coasts,  or  when  the  hosts  go  forth  to  battle.  Is  our 
crusade  against  the  powers  of  darkness  %  With  the  sal- 
vation of  sinners  for  mj  one  undivided  aim,  little  care  I 
for  anything  but  the  lifting  up  of  my  Master's  Gospel, 
and  the  proclamation  of  the  Word  of  mercy  through 
his  flowing  blood. 

Again,  the  banner  in  time  of  war,  was  the  great 
guide-star ;  it  was  the  direction  to  the  soldier.  You 
will  remember  what  special  care  they  took  in  the  day 
of  battle  that  in  case  the  standard-bearer  should  fall  there 
might  still  be  some  means  of  guiding  the  warriors. 

"And  if  mj  standard-bearer  fall,  as  fall  full  well  he  may, 
For  never  saw  I  promise  yet  of  such  a  deadly  fray. 
Press  where  ye  see  my  snow-white  plume  amid  the  ranks  of  war. 
And  be  your  oriflamme  to-day  the  helmet  of  Navarre." 

So  to  this  day  the  cross  is  the  great  guide  of  the 
Christian  in  the  day  of  battle.  There  is  no  fear  that 
it  shall  ever  fall;  we  need  not  be  alarmed  tbat  Jesus 
Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever,  shall 
ever  fail.  Fix  your  eye  upon  him.  Christian — "  look- 
ing unto  Jesus" — and  if  you  would  know  which 
way  to  fight,  fight  in  his  footsteps,  imitate  his  every 
action,  be  your  life  his  life,  be  your  death  his  death. 
Let  it  be  life  by  virtue  of  the  death  ;  never  need 
you  stop  to  ask  directions ;  the  life  of  Christ  is  the 
Christian's  charge.  You  need  not  turn  to  your  fellow- 
believer,  and  say,  "  Comrade,  what  are  we  to  do  just 
now?  The  smoke  of  battle  gathers  and  the  cries 
are  various ;  which  way  shall  I  go  ?  "  Looking  unto 
Jesus,  the  Author  and  Finisher  of  your  faith,  who,  for 
the  joy  that  was  set  before  him,  endured  the  cross, 


1C8  Types  and  Emhlcms. 

despising  the  shame,  and  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  throne  of  God,  press  forward,  saying,  "  God 
hath  given  to  me  a  banner  because  of  the  truth."  In 
these  two  respects,  as  the  central  point  for  rallying, 
and  as  the  direction  to  the  warrior,  Christ  is  our  banner. 
And  the  banner,  let  it  be  remembered,  is  always  the 
object  of  chief  attach.  The  moment  the  adversary  sees 
it,  his  object  is  to  strike  there.  If  it  be  not  the  most 
vulnerable  point,  it  shall  be  at  least  the  point  where 
the  adversary's  power  is  most  felt.  Did  they  not  of 
old  aim  their  shots  at  the  flagstaff  to  cut  dowm  the 
banner  ?  Whenever  the  old  Knights  of  the  Eed  Cross 
fought  the  Saracens  they  always  endeavored  to  make 
their  steel  ring  upon  the  helmet  of  men  whose  hand 
held  the  crescent,  the  standard  of  Mohammed ;  ever 
the  fight  was  bloodiest  around  the  standard.  Some- 
times, when  the  battle  was  over,  if  you  walked  the  field 
you  would  see  it  strewn  with  legs  and  arms  and  man- 
gled bodies  everywhere.  In  one  place  there  would  be 
a  heap  w'here  they  were  piled  one  upon  another,  a 
great  mountain  of  flesh  and  armor,  broken  bones  and 
smashed  skulls,  and  you  would  ask,  "  What  is  this  ? 
How  came  they  here  ?  How  trampled  they  so  one  upon 
another,  and  fought  in  pools  of  human  blood  ? "  The 
answer  would  be,  ^'  'Twas  there  the  standard-bearer 
stood,  and  first  the  adversary  made  a  dash  and  stole 
the  banner,  and  then  fift}^  knights  vowed  to  redeem  it, 
and  they  dashed  against  their  foes  and  took  it  by  storui, 
and  then  again  hand  to  hand  they  fought  with  the  ban- 
ner between  them,  first  in  one  hand  and  then  in  another, 
changing  ownership  each  hour.  AVell,  dear  friendvS, 
Christ  Jesus  has  always  been  the  object  of  attack.    You 


Our  Banner.  169 

will  remember  when  justice  came  forth  against  the 
elect  it  made  five  rents  in  the  great  banner,  and  those 
five  rents  all  glorious  are  in  that  banner  still.  Since 
that  day  many  a  shot  has  sought  to  riddle,  but  not  one 
has  been  able  to  touch  it.  Borne  aloft  first  by  one 
hand  and  then  by  another,  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob 
being  the  strength  of  the  standard  bearers,  that  flag 
has  bidden  defiance  to  the  leaguered  hosts  of  the  flesh 
and  the  devil ;  but  never  has  it  been  trailed  in  the  mire, 
and  never  once  carried  in  jeering  triumph  by  the  adver- 
sary. Blessed  are  the  rents  in  the  banner !  for  they 
are  the  symbol  of  our  victory.  Those  five  wounds  in 
the  person  of  the  Saviour  are  the  gates  of  heaven  to  us. 
But,  thank  God,  there  are  no  more  wounds  to  be 
endured.  The  person  of  our  Lord  is  safe.  His  gospel, 
too,  is  an  unwounded  gospel,  and  his  mystical  body  is 
uninjured.  "  JSTot  a  bone  of  him  shall  be  broken." 
Yes ;  the  gospel  is  unharmed  after  all  the  strife  of 
ages.  The  infidel  threatens  to  rend  the  gospel  to 
pieces,  but  it  is  as  glorious  as  ever ;  modern  scepticism 
sought  to  pull  it  thread  from  thread,  but  has  not  been 
able  so  much  as  to  rend  a  fragment  of  it.  Every  now 
and  then  fresh  adversaries  have  found  out  some  new 
methods  of  induction  or  declamation,  essaying  to  prove 
the  gospel  to  be  a  lie,  and  Christ  an  impostor.  Have 
they  succeeded  ?  Nay,  verily,  they  all  have  to  fiy  the 
field.  The  good  old  banner  of  the  Lord  Omnipotent, 
even  Christ  Jesus,  still  stands  erect  above  them  all. 
We  have  had,  therefore,  three  things — the  rallying 
point,  the  guide-star,  the  object  of  attack. 

And  why  should  the  banner  be  the  object  of  attack 
but  for  this  very  reason,  that  it  is  the  symhol  of  defiance. 
8 


170  Types  and  Emblems. 

As  soon  as  ever  the  banner  is  lifted  up,  it  is,  as  it  were, 
flapped  in  the  face  of  the  foe.  It  seems  to  say  to  him, 
**  Do  your  worst — come  on  !  We  are  not  afraid  of  you 
— we  defy  you  ?  "  So,  when  Christ  is  preached,  there 
is  a  defiance  given  to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord.  Every 
time  a  sermon  is  preached  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit, 
it  is  as  though  the  shrill  clarion  woke  up  the  fiends  of 
hell,  for  every  sermon  seems  to  say  to  them,  "  Christ  is 
come  forth  again  to  deliver  his  lawful  captives  out  of 
your  power;  the  King  of  kings  has  come  to  take  away 
your  dominions,  to  wrest  from  you  your  stolen  treasures, 
and  to  proclaim  himself  your  Master."  Oh,  there  is  a 
stern  joy  that  the  minister  sometimes  feels  when  he 
thinks  of  himself  as  the  antagonist  of  the  powers  of 
hell.  Martin  Luther  seems  always  to  have  felt  it  when 
he  said,  *•'  Come,  let  us  sing  the  forty-sixth  Psalm,  and 
let  the  devil  do  his  worst  ?  "  Why,  that  was  lifting  up 
his  standard — the  standard  of  the  cross.  If  you  want 
to  defy  the  devil,  don't  go  about  preaching  philosophy  ; 
don't  sit  down  and  write  out  fine  sermons,  with  long 
sentences,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  extent;  don't  try 
and  cull  fine,  smooth  phrases  that  will  sound  sweetly  in 
people's  ears.  The  devil  doesn't  care  a  bit  for  this ; 
but  talk  about  Christ,  preach  about  the  sufferings  of  a 
Saviour,  tell  sinners  that  there  is  life  in  a  look  at  him, 
and  straightway  the  devil  taketh  great  umbrage.  Why, 
look  at  many  of  the  ministers  in  London  I  They  preach 
in  their  pulpits  from  the  first  of  January  to  the  last  of 
December,  and  nobody  finds  fault  with  them,  because 
they  will  prophesy  such  smooth  things.  But  let  a  man 
preach  Christ,  let  him  declaim  about  the  power  of  Jesus 
to  save,  and  press  home  gospel  truth  with  simplicity 


Our  Banner.  171 

and  boldness,  straightway  the  fiends  of  darkness  will  be 
against  you ;  and,  if  they  cannot  bite,  they  will  show  that 
they  can  howl  and  bark.  There  is  a  defiance,  I  say,  it 
is  God's  defiance ;  his  gauntlet  thrown  down  to  the  con- 
federated powers  of  darkness,  a  gauntlet  which  they 
dare  not  take  up,  for  they  know  what  tremendous  power 
for  good  there  is  in  the  uplifting  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 
Wave,  then,  your  banner,  O  ye  soldiers  of  the  cross  ; 
each  in  your  place  and  rank  keep  watch  and  ward,  but 
wave  your  banner  still ;  for  though  the  adversary  shall 
be  wroth,  it  is  because  he  knoweth  that  his  time  is  short 
when  once  the  cross  of  Christ  is  lifted  up. 

We  have  not  quite  exhausted  the  metaphor  yet.  The 
banner  was  ever  a  source  of  consolation  to  the  wounded. 
There  he  lies,  the  good  knight ;  right  well  has  he  fought 
without  fear  and  without  reproach  ;  but  a  chance  arrow 
pierced  the  joints  of  his  harness,  and  his  life  is  oozing 
out  from  the  ghastly  wound.  There  is  no  one  there  to 
unbuckle  his  helmet  or  give  him  a  draught  of  cooling 
water  ;  his  frame  is  locked  up  in  that  hard  case  of  steel, 
and  though  he  feels  the  smart  he  cannot  gain  the  remedy, 
He  hears  the  cries,  the  mingled  cries,  the  hoarse  shouts 
of  men  that  rush  in  fury  against  their  fellows :  and  he 
opens  his  eyes — as  yet  he  has  not  fainted  with  his  bleed- 
ing. Where,  think  you,  does  he  look  ?  He  turns  him- 
self round.  What  is  he  looking  for  ?  For  friend?  For 
comrade  ?  No.  Should  they  come  to  him  he  would 
say,  "  Just  lift  me  up,  and  let  me  sit  against  that  tree 
awhile,  and  bleed  here  ;  but  go  you  to  the  fight." 
Where,  where  is  that  restless  eye  searching,  and  what 
is  the  object  for  which  it  is  looking  ?  Yes,  he  has  it ; 
and  the  face  of  the  dying  man  is  brightened.    He  sees 


172  Types  and  Emhlems. 

the  banner  still  waving,  and  with  his  last  breath  he  cries, 
"  On  !  on  !  on  !  "  and  falls  asleep  content,  because  the 
banner  is  safe.  It  has  not  been  cast  down.  Though 
he  has  fallen,  yet  the  banner  is  secure.  Even  so  every 
true  soldier  of  the  cross  rejoices  in  its  triumph.  "We 
fall,  but  Christ  does  not.  We  die,  but  the  cause 
prospers.  As  I  have  told  you  before,  when  my  heart 
was  most  sad — sad  as  it  never  was  before  nor  since — 
that  sweet  text,  "  Him  hath  God  the  Father  exalted, 
and  given  him  a  name  that  is  above  every  name,"  quite 
cheered  my  soul,  and  set  me  again  in  peace  and  com- 
fort. Is  Jesus  safe  ?  Then  it  never  matters  what 
becomes  of  me.  Is  the  banner  right?  Doth  it  wave 
on  high  ?  Then  the  fight  is  ours  still ;  the  adversary 
hath  not  won  the  day.  He  hath  felled  one  and  another, 
but  he  himself  shall  be  broken  in  pieces,  for  the  banner 
still  glares  in  the  sun. 

And,  lastly,  the  banner  is  the  ertihlein  of  victoyy. 
When  the  fight  is  done,  and  the  soldier  cometh  home, 
what  bringeth  he  ?  His  blood-stained  flag.  And  what 
is  borne  highest  in  the  procession  as  it  winds  through 
the  streets  ?  It  is  the  flag.  They  hang  it  in  the  min- 
ster ;  high  up  there  in  the  roof,  and  where  the  incense 
smoketh,  and  where  the  song  of  praise  ascendeth,  there 
hangs  the  banner,  honored  and  esteemed,  borne  in 
conflict  and  in  danger.  Now,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
shall  be  our  banner  in  the  last  day,  when  all  our  foes 
shall  be  under  our  feet.  A  little  while,  and  he  that 
will  come  shall  come,  and  will  not  tarr3^  A  little 
while  and  we  shall  see  Jehovah's  banner  furled. 

"  Sheathed  his  sword  ;  he  speaks  !  'tis  done, 
And  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  the  kingdoms  of  his  Son." 


Out  Banner.  173 

And  then  Jesus,  high  above  us  all,  shall  be  exalted,  and 
through  the  streets  of  the  holy  city  the  acclamations 
shall  ring,  "  Hosanna,  Hosanna,  blessed  is  he  that 
Cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

II.  Let  us  turn  to  our  second  point  for  a  moment. 
It  is  this :  Who  gave  us  the  banner  ?  By  whom  given  ? 
Soldiers  often  esteem  the  colors  for  the  sake  of  the 
person  who  first  bestowed  them.  You  and  I  ought  to 
esteem  the  gospel  of  our  precious  Christ  for  the  sake  of 
God  who  gave  him  to  us.  "  Thou  hast  given  a  banner." 
God  gave  us  the  banner  in  old  eternity.  Christ  was 
given  by  the  eternal  Father,  from  everlasting,  or  ever 
the  earth  was,  to  his  elect  people,  to  be  the  Messiah  of 
God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  He  was  given  in  the 
manger,  when  the  word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt 
among  us.  He  was  given  upon  the  cross,  when  the 
Father  bestowed  every  drop  of  the  Son's  blood,  and 
every  nerve  of  his  body,  and  every  power  of  his  soul, 
to  bleed  and  die,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  to  bring  us  to 
God.  '-'Thou  hast  given  us  a  banner."  That  banner 
was  given  to  each  one  of  us  in  the  day  of  our  conver- 
sion. Christ  became  from  that  time  forth,  our  glory 
and  our  boast.  And  he  is  given  to  some  of  us,  espe- 
cially, when  we  are  called  to  the  ministry,  or  when 
the  Holy  Spirit's  guidance  puts  us  upon  an  extraordi- 
nary work  for  Christ.  Then  is  the  banner  in  a  direct 
and  especial  manner  committed  to  our  care.  I  know 
there  are  some  here  who  have  had  this  banner  given 
them  to  carry  it  in  the  midst  of  the  Sunday-school.  Some 
of  you  have  it.  A  dear  sister  here  has  it.  A  beloved 
brother  has  to  bear  it  in  the  midst  of  many  of  this 
congregation.     The  young  men  of  our  College,  of  our 


174  Types  and  Emhlems. 

evening  classes,  and  manj^  others  of  you  have  that  ban- 
ner, that  you  may  bear  it  in  the  streets,  that  you  may 
lift  up  the  name  of  Jesus  in  the  causeways,  and  in  the 
places  of  assembly.  And,  in  a  certain  measure,  shall 
all  of  you  have  that  banner  given  to  you,  that  in  your 
sphere  of  duty  you  may  talk  of  Jesus,  and  lift  up  his 
dear  name. 

!Now,  inasmuch  as  God  himself  gives  the  banner, 
with  what  reverence  should  we  look  upon  it,  with  what 
ardor  should  we  cluster  round  it,  with  what  zeal  should 
we  defend  it,  with  what  enthusiasm  should  we  follow 
it,  with  what  faith  and  confidence  should  we  rush  even 
into  death  itself  for  its  defence  ! 

III.  Ask  again,  to  whom  is  this  banner  given  ?  The 
text  says  "  Thou  hast  given  a  banner  to  them  that  fear 
theeP  Not  to  all  men.  God  has  a  chosen  people. 
These  chosen  people  are  known  in  due  time  by  their 
outward  character.  That  outward  grace-wrought  cha- 
racter is  this,  they  fear  God.  Now,  they  that  fear  God 
are  the  only  persons  that  ought  to  carry  the  banner. 
Shall  the  banner  be  put  in  the  drunkard's  hands  ?  Shall 
the  great  truth  of  Christ  be  left  to  those  who  live  in 
sin  ?  Oh,  it  is  a  wretched  thing  when  men  come  into 
the  pulpit  to  preach  w^ho  have  never  known  and  felt  the 
power  of  the  Gospel  themselves.  Time  was,  but  times 
are  changed  somewhat,  when  in  multitudes  of  our  parish 
pulpits  men  whose  characters  were  unhallowed  preached 
to  others  what  they  never  practised  themselves.  To 
Buch  the  banner  ought  not  to  be  given.  Men  must  fear 
God,  or  else  they  are  not  worthy  to  bear  it.  Moreover, 
none  but  these  can  bear  it.  What  they  bear  is  not  the 
banner ;  it  is  but  an  imitation  of  it.     It  is  not  Christ 


Our  Banner.  175 

thej  preach  ;  it  is  a  diluted  thing  that  is  not  the  gospel 
of  Jesus.  They  cannot  proclaim  it  to  others  till  they 
know  it  themselves.  It  is  given  to  them  that  fear  God, 
because  they  will  have  courage  to  bear  it.  Fear  is  often 
the  mother  of  courage.  To  fear  God  makes  a  man  brave. 
To  fear  man  is  cowardly,  I  grant ;  but  to  fear  God  with 
humble  awe  and  holy  reverence  is  such  a  noble  passion 
that  I  would  we  were  more  and  more  full  thereof,  blend- 
ing, as  it  were,  the  fear  of  Isaac  with  the  faith  of 
Abraham.  To  fear  God  will  make  the  weakest  of  us 
play  the  man,  and  the  most  craven  of  us  become  heroes 
for  the  Lord  our  God.  Now,  inasmuch  as  this  banner 
is  given  to  those  that  fear  God,  if  you  fear  God  it  is 
given  to  you.  I  do  not  know  in  what  capacity  you  are 
to  bear  it,  but  I  do  know  there  is  somewhere  or  other 
where  you  have  to  carry  it.  Mother,  let  the  banner 
wave  in  your  household.  Merchant,  let  your  banner 
be  fixed  upon  your  house  of  business.  Let  it  be  unfurled 
and  fly  at  your  masthead,  O  sailor.  Bear  your  banner, 
O  soldier,  in  your  regiment.  Yours  is  a  stern  duty,  for 
alas,  the  Christian  soldier  hath  a  path  of  trial  that  few 
men  have  trodden.  God  make  you  faithful,  and  may  you 
be  honored  as  the  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ.  Some 
of  you  are  poor,  and  work  hard  in  the  midst  of  many 
artisans  who  fear  not  God.  Take  your  banner  with  you. 
Never  be  ashamed  of  your  colors.  You  cannot  be  long 
in  a  workshop  before  your  companions  will  pull  their 
colors  out.  They  will  soon  begin  talking  to  you  about 
their  sinful  pleasures,  their  amusements,  perhaps  their 
infidel  principles.  Take  your  banner  out  likewise. 
Tell  them  that  it  is  a  game  two  can  play  at;  never 
allow  a  man  to  show  his  banner  without  you  showing 


176  Types  and  Emhlems. 

yours.  Don't  do  it  ostentatiously  ;  do  it  humbly,  but 
do  it  earnestly  and  sincerely.  Remember  your  banner 
is  one  that  you  never  need  be  ashamed  of;  the  best  of 
men  have  fought  under  it ;  nay,  he  who  was  God  as  well 
as  man  hath  his  own  name  written  on  the  escutcheon. 
Surely,  then,  you  need  not  be  ashamed  to  wave  it  any- 
where and  everywhere.  You  can  think  bravely  ;  now 
be  great  in  act  as  you  have  been  in  thought ! 

"  Presence  of  mind  and  courage  in  distress 
Are  more  than  armies  to  procure  success." 

ly.  And,  indeed,  this  was  our  last  question — what 

WAS     THIS    BANNER     GIVEN     TO     US     FOR  ?       Our    text     is 

very  explicit.  It  was  given  to  us  to  be  "  displayed 
hecause  of  the  truths  It  w^as  to  be  displayed.  In 
order  to  display  a  banner,  you  must  take  it  out  of  its 
case.  Members  of  this  congregation,  brethren  in  the 
church,  I  pray  jou  study  the  Scriptures  much.  I 
would  not  have  men  attempt  to  preach  unless  they 
have  some  power.  To  go  forth  without  some  study 
would  be  like  a  man  attempting  to  do  execution  with 
a  gun  that  had  much  powder  in  it  and  no  shot.  Do 
unfurl  the  banner ;  to  this  end  husband  well  your 
time.  Young  men,  save  your  spare  hours  to  study  the 
Bible.  Steal  them  from  your  sleep  if  you  cannot  get 
them  anyhow  else.  Sunday-school  teachers ;  be  dili- 
gent in  your  preparations  for  your  classes.  Get  your 
banner  out  of  the  case.  It  is  of  little  service  lifting 
it  up  in  the  midst  of  the  ranks  without  its  being  un- 
furled. See  that  ye  know  the  holy  art  of  unfurling  it. 
Practise  it ;  study  it ;  be  well  acquainted  with  him  who 
is  the  wisdom  of  God  and  the  power  of  God.  And 
after  the  flag  is  unfurled,  it  needs  to  be  lifted  up.     So, 


Our  Baniior.  177 

in  order  to  display  Christ,  yon  must  lift  him  up.  Lift 
him  lip  with  a  clear  voice  as  one  that  has  something  to 
say  that  he  would  have  men  hear.  Speak  of  him 
boldly  as  one  who  is  not  ashamed  of  his  message. 
Speak  affectionately,  speak  passionately,  speak  with 
your  whole  soul,  let  your  whole  heart  be  in  every  word 
you  say,  for  this  it  is  to  lift  up  the  banner.  But  besides 
lifting  up  the  banner  you  must  carry  it,  for  it  is  the 
business  of  the  standard-bearer  not  merely  to  hold  it  in 
one  place,  but  to  bear  it  here  and  there  if  the  plan  of 
battle  shall  change.  So  bear  Christ  to  the  poor  lodg- 
ing-houses, to  the  work-houses,  to  the  prisons,  if  you 
can  get  admittance,  to  the  back  streets,  to  the  dark 
slums,  to  the  cellars,  to  the  solitary  attic,  to  the  crowded 
rooms,  to  the  highways  and  the  by-ways;  and  you 
especially  who  are  private  Christians,  and  not  preachers, 
bear  it  from  house  to  house.  "We  had  a  complaint  the 
other  day  that  some  of  you  had  been  geing  from  house 
to  house  to  try  and  talk  to  others  about  their  souls; 
you  had  entrenched  upon  the  parochial  bounds  of  the 
authorized  gamekeeper.  I  pray  you  entrench  again. 
What  is  my  parish  ?  The  whole  world  is  my  parish  ; 
let  the  whole  world  be  your  parish  likewise.  What 
does  it  matter  to  us  if  the  world  be  parcelled  out  among 
men  who  probably  do  little  or  nothing.  Let  us  do  all 
we  can.  Ko  man  hath  any  right  to  say  to  me,  "  Yisit 
in  such  and  such  a  district,  not  here — this  is  my  ground." 
Who  gave  it  to  you  ?  Who  gave  him  lordship  of  the 
world  or  any  portion  of  it  ?  "  The  earth  is  the  Lord's, 
and  the  fulness  thereof."  The  earth  is  your  field,  and 
no  matter  upon  whose  district,  territory,  or  parish. 
Let  me  encourage  you  that  love  the  Saviour.  You 
have  the  pure  gospel ;  go  and  spread  it.     Let  nothing 


178  Types  and  Emhlems. 

confine  you,  or  limit  your  labors,  except  your  strength 
and  your  time.  Still,  after  all,  if  we  carry  the  gospel, 
and  lift  up  the  banner,  it  will  never  be  displayed  even 
then,  unless  there  is  wind  to  blow  it.  A  banner  would 
only  hang  like  a  dead  flag  upon  the  staff  if  there  were 
no  wind.  Now,  we  cannot  produce  the  wind  to  expand 
the  banner,  but  we  can  invoke  heavenly  aid.  Prayer 
becomes  a  prophecy  when  ye  say,  "Awake,  O  heavenly 
wind,  and  blow,  and  let  this  banner  be  displayed." 
The  Holy  Spirit  is  that  gracious  wind  who  shall  make 
the  truth  apparent  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  hear  it. 
Display  the  banner,  talk  of  Christ,  live  Christ,  proclaim 
Christ  everywhere.  He  is  given  to  you  for  this  very 
purpose.  Therefore,  let  not  your  light  be  hid  or  put 
under  a  bushel.  "  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.  Let 
your  light  shine  before  men."  Let  the  old  flag  bo 
held  up  by  fresh  hands.  Go  ye  forth  in  new  times, 
with  new  resolves,  and  may  ye  have  constant  renew- 
ings  as  new  opportunities  open  before  you. 

Oh,  but  are  there  not  some  of  you  who  could  not 
bear  this  banner  ?  Let  me  invite  such  to  come  and 
take  shelter  under  it.  My  Master's  banner,  wherever 
it  goes,  gives  liberty.  Under  the  banner  of  Old  Eng- 
land there  never  breathes  a  slave.  They  tread  our 
country,  they  breathe  our  air,  and  their  shackles  fall. 
Beneath  the  banner  of  Christ  no  slave  can  live.  Do 
but  look  up  to  Jesus,  relying  upon  his  suffering  in  your 
stead,  and  bearing  your  sins  in  your  place  and  room, 
and  forthwith  you  shall  have  acceptance  in  the  Beloved, 
and  the  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding 
shall  keep  your  heart  and  mind  through  Jesus  Christ. 
So  may  God  enlist  you  beneath  his  banner  to  his  glory. 
Amen. 


ur  C|ampiffn. 


"  And  Samson  lay  till  midnight,  and  arose  at  midnight,  and  took 
the  doors  of  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  the  two  posts,  and  went  away 
with  them,  bar  and  all,  and  put  them  upon  his  shoulders,  and  carried 
them  up  to  the  top  of  an  hill  that  is  before  Hebron." — Judges  xvi.  3. 


OOR  Samson  !  We  cannot  say  much  about  him 
by  way  of  an  example  to  believers.  We  must 
hold  him  up  in  two  lights — as  a  beacon  and  as 
a  prodigy.  He  is  a  beacon  to  us  all,  for  he 
shows  us  that  no  strength  of  body  can  suffice 
to  deliver  from  weakness  of  mind.  Here  was  a  man 
whom  no  fellow-man  could  overcome,  but  he  lost  his 
eyes  through  a  woman — a  man  mighty  enough  to  rend 
a  lion  like  a  kid,  yet,  in  due  time,  though  himself 
stronger  than  a  lion,  he  is  bound  with  chains.  When 
I  think  of  the  infatuation  of  which  Samson  was  the 
subject,  and  remember  how  we  are  men  of  like  passions 
with  him,  I  can  only,  for  myself  and  for  you,  put  up 
the  prayer,  "  Lord,  hold  thou  me  up,  and  I  shall  be 
safe."  And  Samson  is  also  a  prodigy.  He  is  more  a 
wonder  as  a  believer  than  he  is  even  as  a  man.  It  is 
marvellous  that  a  man  could  smite  thousands  of  Phil- 
istines with  no  better  weapon  than  the  jaw-bone  of  a 
newly  killed  ass,  but  it  is  more  marvellous  still  that 


ISO  Types  and  EmUerns. 

Samson  should  be  a  saint,  ranked  aniono'  those  illns- 
trious  ones  saved  by  faith,  though  such  a  sinner.  St. 
Paul  has  put  him  among  the  worthies  in  the  eleventh 
chapter  of  the  Hebrews.  Paul  wrote  by  inspiration. 
Therefore,  there  can  be  no  mistake  about  it — Samson 
was  saved.  Indeed,  when  I  see  his  child-like  faith, 
the  way  in  which  he  dashed  against  the  Philistines, 
hip  and  thigh,  and  smote  them  with  a  great  slaughter — 
the  way  in  which  he  cast  aside  all  reckonings  and 
probabilities,  and  in  simple  confidence  in  his  God  cast 
himself  about  to  do  the  most  tremendous  feats  of  valor 
— when  I  see  this,  I  cannot  but  w^onder  and  admire. 
The  Old  Testament  biographies  were  never  written 
for  our  imitation,  but  they  were  written  for  our  instruc- 
tion. Upon  this  one  matter,  what  a  volume  of  force  there 
is  in  such  lessons !  "  See,"  says  God,  "  what  faith  can 
do.  Here  is  a  man,  full  of  infirmities,  a  sorry  fool ; 
yet,  through  his  child-like  faith  he  lives.  The  just 
shall  live  by  faith.  He  has  many  sad  flaws  and  spots, 
but  his  heart  is  right  towards  God  ;  he  does  trust  in 
his  Lord,  and  he  does  give  himself  up  as  a  consecrated 
man  to  his  Lord's  service,  and,  therefore,  he  shall  be 
saved."  I  look  upon  Samson's  case  as  a  great  wonder, 
put  in  Scripture  for  the  encouragement  of  great  sin- 
ners. If  such  a  man  as  Samson,  nevertheless,  prevails 
by  faith  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  so  shall  you 
and  I.  Though  our  characters  may  have  been  dis- 
figured by  many  vices,  and  hitherto  we  may  have 
committed  a  multitude  of  sins,  if  we  can  trust  Christ 
to  save  us  he  will  purge  us  with  hyssop,  and  we  shall 
be  clean  ;  he  will  wash  us,  and  we  shall  be  whiter  than 
snow;  and  in  our  death    we  shall  fall  asleep  in  the 


Our  Chamjpion.  IS  I 

arms  of  sovereign  mercy  to  wake  up  in  the  likeness  of 
Christ. 

But,  I  am  going  to  leave  Samson  alone,  except  as  he 
may  furnish  us  with  a  picture  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Samson,  like  many  other  Old  Testament  heroes,  was  a 
type  of  our  Lord.  He  is  specially  so  in  this  case.  I 
shall  invite  you  to  look  at  Christ  rather  than  Samson. 
First,  come  andhehold  our  champion  at  his  worh;  then, 
let  us  go  and  survey  the  worh  when  he  has  acconqMshed 
it ;  and,  thirdly,  let  us  inquire  what  use  we  can  make 
of  the  icorh  which  he  has  performed, 

I.  Came  with  me,  then,  brethren,  and  look  at  our 
MIGHTY  cHAMrioN  AT  HIS  woKK.  You  remember  when 
our  Samson,  our  Lord  Jesus,  came  down  to  the  Gaza 
of  this  world,  'tw  as  love  that  brought  him ;  love  to  a 
most  unworthy  object,  for  he  loved  the  sinful  church 
which  had  gone  astray  from  him  many  and  many  times  ; 
yet  came  he  from  heaven,  and  left  the  ease  and  delights 
of  his  Father's  palace  to  put  himself  among  the  Philis- 
tines, the  sons  of  sin  and  Satan  here  below.  It  was 
rumored  among  men  that  the  Lord  of  glory  was  in  the 
world,  and  straightway  they  took  counsel  together  how 
they  would  slay  him.  Herod  makes  a  clean  sweep  of 
all  the  children  of  two  years  old  and  under,  that  he  may 
be  sure  to  slay  the  new-born  Prince.  Afterward  scribes 
and  priests  and  lawyers  hunt  and  hound  him.  Satan 
tempts  him  in  the  wilderness,  and  provokes  him  when 
in  public.  Death  also  pursues  him,  for  he  has  marked 
him  as  his  prey.  At  last  the  time  comes  when  the 
triple  host  of  the  Saviour's  foes  has  fairly  environed 
^him  and  shut  him  in.  They  have  dragged  him  before 
Pilate ;  they  have  scourged  him  on  the  pavement ;  they 


182  Tyjpes  and  EmUems. 

drag  him  while  his  back  drips  on  the  stones  of  Jerusa- 
lem's streets ;  they  pierce  his  hands  and  his  feet ;  they  lift 
him  up,  a  spectacle  of  scorn  and  suffering ;  and  now, 
while  dying  in  pangs  extreme,  and  especially  when  he 
closes  his  eyes,  and  cries  out,  "  It  is  finished,"  sin,  Satan, 
and  death  all  feel  that  they  have  the  Champion  safe. 
There  he  lies  silently  in  the  tomb.    He  who  is  to  bruise 
the  serpent's  head  is  himself  bruised.     O  thou  who  art 
the  world's  great  Deliverer,  there  thou  liest,  as  dead  as 
any  stone  !     Surely  thy  foes  have  led  thee  captive,  O 
thou  mighty  Samson  !  He  sleeps  ;  but  think  not  that  he 
is  unconscious  of  what  is  going  on.     He  knows  every- 
thing.    He  sleeps  till  the  proper  moment  comes,  and 
then  our  Samson  awakes  ;  and  what  now  ?     He  is  in 
the  tomb,  and  his  foes  have  set  a  guard  and  a  seal  that 
they  make  keep  him  there.     Will  any  help  him  now  to 
escape  out  of  their  charge  ?  Is  there  any  man  that  will 
give  his  aid  now  ?  ]SI"o,  there  is  none  !  If  the  Champion 
escapes    it  must  be  by  his  own  single-handed  valor. 
Will  he  make  a  clear  way  for  himself,  and  come  up  from 
the  midst  of  his  foes  ?   You  know  he  will,  my  brethren, 
for  the  moment  the  third  day  is  come  he  touches  the 
stone,  and  it  is  rolled  away.     He  has  defeated  death  ; 
he  has  pulled  up  his  posts  and  bar,  and  taken   away 
his  gates.     As  for  sin  he    treads  that    beneath  his 
feet :  he  has  utterly  overthrown  it,  and  Satan  lies  bro- 
ken beneath  the  heel  that  once  was  bruised.     He  has 
broken  the  dragon's  head,  and  cut  his  power  in  pieces. 
Solitary  and  alone,  his  own  arm  brings  salvation,  and 
his  righteousness  sustains  him.     Methinks  I  see  him 
now  as  he  goes  up  that  hill  which  is  before  Hebron — the 
hill  of  God.  He  bears  upon  his  shoulders  the  o'erthrown 


Our  Champion.  183 

gates,  the  tokens  of  his  victory  over  death  and  hell. 
Posts  and  gates  and  bar  and  all,  he  bears  them  up  to 
heaven.  In  sacred  triumph  he  drags  our  enemies  be- 
hind him.  Sing  to  him  !  Angels,  praise  him  in  your 
hymns !  Exalt  him,  cherubim  and  seraphim !  Our 
mightier  Samson  hath  gotten  to  himself  the  victory,  and 
cleared  the  road  to  heaven  and  eternal  life  for  all  his 
people !  Ye  knovi^  the  story.  T  have  told  it  ill,  but  it  is 
the  most  magnificent  of  all  stories  that  e'er  were  told. 
"  Arms,  and  the  man,  I  sing,"  said  one  of  old  ;  but 
the  cross  and  of  him  I  sing.  'Tis  mine  to  tell  of  him 
who  espoused  the  cause  of  his  people,  and,  though  for 
awhile  captive  and  bound,  broke  the  green  withs,  and 
having  gained  the  victory  for  himself,  liberated  others 
also,  then  goes  at  the  head  of  his  people  along  the  way 
which  he  has  opened — a  way  which  leadeth  to  the 
right  hand  of  God. 

II.  Let  us  go  now,  dear  brethren,  and  calmly  con- 
sider the  work  itself. 

We  will  stand  at  the  gates  of  this  Gaza,  and  see  what 
the  Champion  has  done.  Those  are  ponderous  hinges, 
and  they  must  have  held  up  huge  doors.  We  will  look 
at  these  doors,  and  posts,  and  this  bar.  Why,  it  is  a 
mass  of  iron  that  scarce  ten  men  could  lift,  and  it  might 
take  fifty  more  to  carry  those  huge  doors.  They  scarce 
were  moved  even  on  their  hinges  without  the  efiforts 
of  some  dozen  men  ;  and  yet  this  one  man  carried  them 
all,  and  I  read  not  that  his  shoulders  were  bent  or  that 
he  grew  weary.  Seven  miles  at  least  Samson  carried 
that  tremendous  load,  up  hill  all  the  way,  too !  Still 
he  bore  it  all  without  staggering,  nor  do  I  find  that  he 
was  faint  as  he  was  aforetime  at  Ramath-lehi. 


184  Types  and  Eiitbleins. 

I  will  not  linger  upon  Samson's  exploits.  Kather 
would  I  draw  your  thoughts  to  the  Captain  of  our  sal- 
vation. See  what  Christ  has  carried  away.  I  said 
that  he  had  three  enemies.  These  three  beset  him, 
and  he  has  achieved  a  threefold  victory. 

There  was  death.  My  dear  friends,  Christ,  in  being 
first  overcome  by  death,  made  himself  a  conqueror 
over  death,  and  hath  given  us  also  the  victory  ;  for 
concerning  death  we  may  truly  say,  Christ  has  not  only 
opened  the  gates,  but  he  has  taken  them  away;  and 
not  the  gates  only,  but  the  very  posts,  and  the  bar, 
and  all.  Christ  hath  abolished  death,  and  brought  life 
and  immortality  to  light.  He  hath  abolished  it  in  this 
sense — that,  in  the  first  place,  the  cause  of  death  is 
gone.  Believers  die,  but  they  do  not  die  for  their 
sins.  "  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the 
Scriptures."  We  die,  but  it  is  not  any  longer  as  a 
punishment  to  us.  It  is  the  fruit  of  sin,  but  it  is  not 
the  curse  of  sin  that  makes  the  believer  die.  To  other 
men  death  is  a  curse  ;  to  the  believer  I  may  almost  put 
it  among  his  covenant  blessings,  for  to  sleep  in  Jesus 
Christ  is  one  of  the  greatest  mercies  that  the  Lord  can 
give  to  his  believing  people.  The  curse  of  death,  then, 
being  taken  away,  we  may  say  that  the  posts  are  pulled 
up.  Christ  has  taken  away  the  after  results  of  death, 
the  soul's  exposure  to  the  second  death.  Unless  Christ 
had  redeemed  us,  death,  indeed,  would  have  been  ter- 
rible ;  for  it  would  have  been  the  shore  of  the  great 
lake  of  fire.  When  the  wicked  die  they  are  judged  to 
punishment.  If  they  rise,  it  is  but  to  receive  in  their 
bodies  and  in  their  souls  the  due  rew^ard  of  their  sins. 
The  sting  of  death  is  the  second  death— the  afterwards. 


Out  Champion.  '    185 

To  die — to  sleep — ay,  that  were  nothing ;  but  to  dream 
in  that  sleep !  "  Ay,  there's  the  rub ! "  said  the 
world's  poet ;  and  there  men  will  Und  the  rub  is ;  "  for 
in  that  sleep  of  death  what  dreams  shall  come!  " — nay, 
not  what  "  dreams,"  but  what  substantial  pains,  what 
everlasting  sorrows,  what  dread  miseries !  These  are 
not  for  Christians.  There  is  no  hell  for  you,  believer. 
Christ  has  taken  awaj^  posts,  and  bar,  and  all.  Death 
is  not  to  you  any  longer  the  gate  of  torment,  but  the 
gate  of  paradise.  Moreover,  Christ  has  not  only  taken 
away  the  curse,  and  the  after  results  of  death,  but  from 
many  of  us  he  has  taken  away  the  fear  of  death.  He 
came  on  purpose  to  deliver  "  those,  who  through  fear 
of  death,  were  all  their  life-time  subject  to  bondage." 
There  are  not  a  few  here^^who  could  conscientiously 
say  that  they  do  not  dread  death;  nay,  but  rather  look 
forward  to  it  with  joyful  expectation.  AVe  have  become 
so  accustomed  to  think  of  our  last  hours  that  we  die 
daily,  and  when  the  last  hour  shall  arrive,  we  can  only 
say,  "  Our  marriage  day  has  come." 

"  Welcome  sweet  hour  of  full  discharge 
That  sets  my  willing  soul  at  large," 

We  shall  hail  the  summons  to  mount  beyond  this  land 
of  woes,  and  sighs,  and  tears  to  be  present  with  our 
God.  The  fear  of  death  having  been  taken  away,  we 
may  truly  say  that  Christ  has  taken  away  posts,  and 
bar,  and  all.  Besides,  beloved,  there  is  a  sense  in 
which  it  may  be  said  that  Christians  never  die  at  all. 
"  He  that  liveth  and  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were 
dead,  yet  shall  he  live."  "  He  that  liveth  and  believeth 
in  me  shall  never  die."  They  do  not  die  ;  they  do  but 
"  sleep  in  Jesus,  and  are  blessed."     But  the  main  sense 


186  Types  and  Eiriblema. 

in  which  Christ  has  pulled  up  the  posts  of  the  gates  of 
death  is  that  he  has  brought  in  a  glorious  resurrection. 
Grave,  thou  canst  not  hold  thy  prisoners ;  they  must 
rise!  O  death,  thy  troops  of  worms  may  seem  to 
devastate  that  fair  land  of  human  flesh  and  blood;  but 
that  body  shall  rise  again  with  more  blooming  beauty 
than  that  with  which  it  fell  asleep.  It  shall  upstart  from 
its  bed  of  dust,  and  silent  clay,  to  dwell  in  realms  of 
everlasting  day.  Conceive  the  picture  if  you  can  !  If 
you  have  imagination,  let  the  scene  now  present  itself 
before  your  eyes.  Christ  the  Samson  sleeping  in  the 
dominions  of  death  ;  death  boasting  and  glorifying 
itself  that  now  it  has  conquered  the  Prince  of  Life ; 
Christ  waking,  striding  to  that  gate,  dashing  it  aside, 
taking  it  upon  his  shoulders,  carrying  it  away,  and  say 
ing  as  he  mounts  to  heaven,  "  O  death,  where  is  thy 
sting  ?     O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?" 

Another  host  which  Christ  had  to  defeat  was  the 
army  of  sin.  Christ  had  come  among  sinners,  and  sins 
beset  him  round.  Your  sins  and  my  sins  beleaguered 
the  Saviour  till  he  became  their  captive.  In  him  was  no 
sin,  and  yet  sins  compassed  him  about  like  bees.  Sin 
was  imputed  to  him  ;  the  sins  of  all  his  people  stood  in 
his  way  to  keep  him  out  of  heaven  as  well  as  them. 
When  Christ  was  on  the  cross,  my  brethren,  he  was 
looked  upon  by  God  as  a  sinner,  though  he  never  had 
been  a  sinner  ;  and  when  in  the  grave,  he  could  not  rise 
until  he  was  justified.  Christ  must  be  justified  as  well  as 
his  people.  He  was  justified  not  as  we  are,  but  by  his 
own  act.  AVe  are  not  justified  by  acts  of  our  own  as  he 
was.  All  the  sin  of  the  elect  was  laid  upon  Christ ;  he 
Buffered  its  full  penalty,  and  so  was  justified.  The  token 


Our  Champion,  187 

of  his  justification  lay  in  his  resurrection.  Christ  was 
justified  by  rising  from  the  dead,  and  in  him  all  his  peo- 
ple were  justified  too.  I  may  saj^,  therefore,  that  all  our 
sins  stood  in  the  way  of  Christ's  resurrection  ;  they  weie 
the  great  iron  gate,  and  they  were  the  bar  of  brass,  that 
shut  him  out  from  heaven.  Doubtless,  we  might  have 
thought  that  Christ  would  be  a  prisoner  for  ever  under 
the  troops  of  sin,  but,  oh,  see  him,  my  brethren.  See 
how  the  mighty  Conqueror,  as  he  bears  our  sins  *'  in 
his  own  body  on  the  tree,"  stands  with  unbroken  bones 
beneath  the  enormous  load,  bearing 

"  All  that  incarnate  God  could  bear, 
With  strength  enough  but  none  to  spare." 

See  how  he  takes  those  sins  upon  his  shoulders,  and 
carries  them  right  up  from  his  tomb,  and  hurls  them 
away  into  the  deep  abyss  of  forgetf  ulness,  where,  if  they 
be  sought  for,  they  shall  not  be  found  any  more  forever. 
As  for  the  sins  of  God's  people,  they  are  not  partly 
taken  away,  but  they  are  as  clean  removed  as  ever  the 
gates  of  Gaza  were — posts,  gates,  bars,  and  all ;  that  is 
to  say,  every  sin  of  God's  people  is  forgiven. 

"  There's  pardon  for  transgressions  past, 
It  matters  not  how  black  their  cast ; 
And,  oh,  my  soul,  with  wonder  view, 
For  sins  to  come  there's  pardon  too  ' 

Ever}^  sin  that  all  the  elect  did  commit,  are  commit- 
ting, or  shall  commit,  was  taken  away  by  Christ,  taken 
upon  the  shoulders  of  the  atonement  and  carried  away. 
There  is  no  sin  in  God's  book  against  his  people ;  he 
seeth  no  sin  in  Jacob,  neither  iniquity  in  Israel ;  they 
are  justified  in  Christ  for  ever.  Moreover,  as  the 
guilt  of  sin  was  taken  away,  the  punishment  of  sin 


188  Types  and  EinUenu. 

was  consequently  taken  away  too.  For  the  Christian 
there  is  no  stroke  from  God's  angry  hand  ;  nay,  not  so 
much  as  a  single  frown  of  punitive  justice.  The  be- 
liever may  be  chastised  by  a  Father's  hand ;  but  God, 
the  Judge  of  all,  has  nothing  to  say  to  the  Christian, 
except,  "  I  have  absolved  thee  :  thou  art  acquitted." 
For  the  Christian  there  is  no  hell,  no  penal  death, 
much  less  any  second  death.  He  is  completely  freed 
from  all  the  punishment  as  well  as  the  guilt  of  sin,  and 
the  power  of  sin  is  removed  too.  It  may  stand  in  our 
way  to  keep  us  in  perpetual  warfare  ;  but,  oh,  my  breth- 
ren, sin  is  a  conquered  foe  to  us.  There  is  no  sin  which  a 
Christian  cannot  overcome  if  he  will  only  rely  upon  his 
God  to  do  it.  They  overcame  through  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  who  wear  the  white  robe  of  heaven,  and  you 
and  I  may  do  the  same.  There  is  no  lust  too  mighty, 
no  besettino;  sin  too  strons^lv  entrenched.  We  can  drive 
these  Canaanites  out.  Though  they  have  cities  walled 
to  heaven,  we  can  pull  their  cities  down,  and  overcome 
them  through  the  power  of  Christ.  Do  believe  it, 
Christian,  that  thy  sin  is  virtually  a  dead  thing.  It 
may  kick  and  struggle.  There  is  force  in  it  for  that, 
but  it  is  a  dead  thing.  God  has  written  condemnation 
across  its  brow.  Christ  has  crucified  it,  '•  nailing  it  to 
his  cross."  Do  you  go  now  and  bury  it  for  ever,  and 
the  Lord  help  you  to  live  to  his  praise.  Oh,  blessed  be 
his  name !  Sin,  with  the  guilt,  the  power,  the  shame, 
the  fear,  the  terror  of  it,  all  is  gone.  Christ  has  taken 
posts,  and  bar,  and  all  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill. 

Then  there  was  a  third  enemy,  and  he  also  has  been 
destroyed — that  was  Satan.  Our  Saviour's  sufferings 
w^ere  not  only  an  atonement  for  sin,  but  they  were  a  con- 


Our  Champion.  189 

flict  with  Satan,  and  a  conquest  over  him,  and  Satan  is  a 
defeated  foe.  The  gates  of  hell  cannot  prevail  against 
the  church ;  but,  what  is  more,  Christ  has  prevailed 
against  the  gates  of  hell.  As  for  Satan  the  posts,  and 
bar,  and  all  have  been  plucked  up  from  his  citadel  in 
this  sense — that  Satan  has  now  no  reigning  power  over 
believers.  He  may  bark  at  us  like  a  dog,  and  he  may 
go  about  like  a  roaring  lion,  but  to  rend  and  to  devour 
are  not  in  his  power.  There  is  a  chain  about  the  devil's 
neck,  and  God  lets  him  go  as  far  as  he  likes,  but  no 
further.  He  could  not  tempt  Job  without  first  asking 
leave,  and  he  cannot  tempt  you  without  first  getting 
permission.  There  is  a  permit  needed  before  the  devil 
dares  so  much  as  look  on  a  believer,  and  God  gives 
him  permission ;  and  so,  being  under  divine  authority 
and  permission,  he  will  not  be  allowed  to  tempt  us 
above  what  we  are  able  to  bear.  Moreover,  the  exceed- 
ing terror  of  Satan  is  also  taken  away.  A  man  has 
met  Apollyon  foot  to  foot,  and  overcome  him.  That 
man  in  death  triumphed  over  Satan.  So  may  you  and 
I.  The^^rcstige  of  the  old  enemy  is  gone.  The  drag- 
on's head  has  been  broken,  and  you  and  I  need  not 
fear  to  fight  with  a  broken-headed  adversary.  When 
I  read  John  Bunyan's  description  of  Christian's  fight 
with  Apollyon,  I  am  struck  with  the  beauty  and  truth 
of  the  description,  but  I  cannot  help  thinking — "  Oh !  if 
Christian  had  known  how  thoroughly  Apollyon  had 
been  thrashed  in  days  gone  by,  by  his  Master,  he  would 
have  thrown  that  in  his  face,  and  made  short  work  of 
him."  Never  encounter  Satan  without  recollecting 
that  great  victory  that  Christ  achieved  on  the  tree. 
Do  not  be  afraid.  Christian,  of  Satan's  devices  or  threat- 


190  Types  and  Emblems, 

enings.  Be  on  your  watch-tower  against  him.  Strive 
against  him,  but  fear  him  not.  Resist  him,  being  bold 
in  the  faith,  for  it  is  not  in  his  power  to  keep  the  fee- 
blest saint  out  of  heaven,  for  all  the  gates  which  he  has 
put  up  to  impede  our  march  have  been  taken  away, 
posts,  and  bar,  and  all,  and  our  God  the  Lord  has  gotten 
to  himself  the  victory  over  the  hosts  of  hell. 

III.  "We  will  now  see  now  we  can  use  this  victory. 
Surely  there  is  some  comfort  here — comfort  for  you, 
dear  friend,  over  yonder.  You  have  a  desire  to  be 
saved ;  God  has  impressed  you  with  a  deep  sense  of  sin  ; 
the  very  strongest  wish  of  your  soul  is  that  you  might 
have  peace  with  God.  But  you  think  there  are  so  many 
difficulties  in  the  way — Satan,  your  sins,  and  1  know 
not  what.  Beloved,  let  me  tell  thee,  in  God's  name, 
there  is  no  difficulty  whatever  in  the  way  except  in 
thine  own  heart,  for  Christ  has  taken  away  the  gates  of 
Gaza — gates,  posts,  bar,  and  all.  Mary  Magdalene  said 
to  the  other  Mary,  when  they  went  to  the  sepulchre, 
*'  Who  shall  roll  us  away  the  stone  ?  "  That  is  what 
you  are  saying  ;  and  when  they  came  to  the  place  the 
stone  was  rolled  away.  That  is  your  case,  poor  troub- 
led conscience ;  the  stone  is  rolled  away.  What  ?  3^ou 
cannot  believe  it  ?  There  is  God's  testimony  for  it — 
"  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white 
as  snow  ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall 
be  as  wool."  You  want  an  atonement  for  your  sins, 
do  you  ?  "  It  is  finished."  You  want  some  one  to 
speak  for  you.  "  lie  is  able  to  save  unto  the  utter- 
most, seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us." 
Canst  thou  believe  in  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ,  and 
rest  thy  poor  guilty  soul  upon  the  merit  of  his  doing 


Our  Champion.  191 

and  the  virtue  of  his  dying  ?  If  thou  canst,  God  is  recon- 
ciled to  thee.  There  may  have  been  great  mountains 
between  thee  and  God.  They  are  all  gone.  There  may 
have  been  the  Red  Sea  of  thy  sins  rolling  between  thee 
and  thy  Father.  That  Red  Sea  is  dried  up.  I  tell  thee, 
soul,  if  thou  believestin  Christ  Jesus,  not  only  is  there 
way  of  access  between  thy  soul  and  God,  but  there  is  a 
a  clear  way.  You  remember,  when  Christ  died,  the 
veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in  twain.  There  was  not 
a  little  slit  for  sinners  to  creep  through,  but  it  was  rent 
in  twain  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  so  that  big  sinners 
might  come,  just  in  the  same  way  as  when  Samson 
pulled  up  gates,  posts,  bar,  and  all,  there  was  a  clear 
way  out  into  the  country  for  all  who  were  locked  up 
in  the  town.  Prisoner,  the  prison  doors  are  open. 
Captive,  loose  the  bonds  on  thy  neck ;  be  free !  I  sound 
the  trump  of  jubilee.  Bond-slaves,  Christ  hath  re- 
deemed you.     Ye  who  have  sold — 

"  Your  heritage  for  naught, 
Shall  have  it  back  unbought, 
The  gift  of  Jesus'  love." 

The  Lord  hath  anointed  his  Son  Jesus  "  to  preach 
liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison 
doors  to  them  that  are  bound."  Trust  thou  him.  Oh, 
may  his  mercy  lead  thee  now^  to  trust  him,  for  there  is 
really  nothing  to  prevent  thy  salvation  if  thou  restest 
in  him.  Between  thy  soul  and  God,  I  tell  thee,  there 
is  no  dividing  wall.  '^  He  is  our  peace."  "•  He  hath 
made  us  both  one,  and  reconciled  us  to  God  by  his 
blood."  May  those  few  words  be  kept  and  treasured 
up  by  such  as  need  them.  Some  of  you  want  them. 
May  the  Spirit  of  God  put  them   into  your   hearts^ 


192  Tyjpes  and  Eiriblems. 

and  lay  them  up  there,  that  you  may  find  comfort 
in  Christ ! 

But  is  there  not  something  more  here  ?  Is  there  not 
here  some  ground  of  exhortation  to  Christians  ?  Breth- 
ren, have  not  some  of  you  been  tolerating  some  sin — 
some  besetting  sin,  which  you  think  you  cannot  over- 
come %  You  would  be  more  holy,  but  this  thought 
makes  your  arm  nerveless  against  your  own  sin — you 
are  not  able  to  overcome  it.  So  you  think  that  Christ 
has  left  the  posts,  do  3^ou  ?  I  tell  you,  no  ;  "  he  that  is 
born  of  God  sinneth  not,"  Pie  that  is  born  of  God 
is  perfect,  and  he  sinneth  not  with  allowance  ;  he  sin- 
neth not  with  constancy  ;  and  it  is  his  power,  with  the 
Holy  Spirit's  aid,  to  overcome  his  sin ;  and  it  is  his 
duty  as  well  as  his  privilege  to  go  to  war  against  the 
stoutest  of  his  corruptions  till  he  shall  tread  them 
under  foot. 

Now,  will  you  believe  it,  brethren,  that  in  the  blood 
of  Christ,  and  in  the  water  that  flowed  with  it  from 
his  side,  there  is  a  sovereign  virtue  to  kill  your  sins  ? 
There  is  nothing  standing  between  you  and  the  pardon 
of  your  sins  but  your  unbelief,  and  if  you  will  shake 
that  off,  you  shall  march  through  the  gate  triumphant. 

Once  more,  and  I  have  done.  Is  not  this  an  incentive 
for  us  who  profess  to  be  servants  of  Christ  to  go  out 
and  fight  with  the  world,  and  overcome  it  for  Christ  ? 
Brethren,  where  Jesus  leads  us  it  needs  not  much 
courage  to  follow.  "  The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the 
fulness  thereof."  Let  us  go  and  take  it  for  him  !  Na- 
tions that "  sit  in  darkness  shall  see  a  great  light."  Satan 
may  have  locked  up  the  world  with  bigotry,  with  idola- 
try, and  with  superstition,  as  with  posts  and  bars,  but 


Our  Champion.  193 

the  kingdom  is  the  Lord's  ;  and  if  we  will  but  rouse  our- 
selves to  preach  the  Word  we  shall  find  that  the  Breaker 
has  gone  up  before  us,  and  broken  and  torn  away  the 
gates,  and  we  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  enter  with  an 
easy  victory.     God  help  us  to  do  so  ! 

And  now,  as  we  come  to  the  Lord's  table,  let  us  have 
this  vision  before  us  of  our  glorious  Samson  achieving 
his  mighty  victory  ;  and,  while  we  weep  for  sin,  let  us 
praise  his  superlative  power  and  love  that  has  done  such 
marvels  for  us.  The  Lord  give  us  to  enjoy  his  presence 
at  this  table,  and  he  shall  have  the  praise  I  Amen. 
9 


.^(^ 


CJt   Jfaintiirg   Jero. 

"  He  was  sore  athirst,  and  called  on  the  Lord,  and  said.  Thou  hast 
given  this  great  deliverance  into  the  hand  of  thy  servant :  and  now 
shall  I  die  for  thirst,  and  fall  into  the  hand  of  the  uncircum- 
cised? — Judges  xv.  18. 


OU  will  remember  the  occasion  on  which  these 
words  were  spoken.  Samson  had  been  brought 
down  from  the  top  of  the  rock,  bound  with 
cords  by  his  own  brethren,  and  given  up  as  a 
captive  into  the  hands  of  the  Philistines.  But, 
no  sooner  did  he  reach  the  Philistines  than  the  super- 
natural force  of  God's  Spirit  came  upon  him,  and  he 
snapped  the  cords  as  though  they  had  been  but  tow ; 
and  seeing  the  jaw-bone  of  a  newly  slaughtered  ass 
lying  near  to  hand,  he  grasped  that  strange  weapon, 
and  fell  with  all  his  might  upon  the  hosts  of  the  Phil- 
istines ;  and  though,  no  doubt,  they  took  to  speedy 
flight,  yet  the  one  man,  smiting  them  hip  and  thigh, 
left  no  less  than  a  thousand  persons  dead  upon  the 
ground ;  and  as  he  piled  up  the  heaps  of  the  slain,  he 
looked  with  grim  satisfaction  upon  the  slaughter  which 
he  had  wrought,  crying — "  Heaps  upon  heaps  ;  heaps 
upon  heaps  ;  with  the  jaw-bone  of  an  ass  have  I  slain 
a  thousand   men  !  "     There   was,   perhaps,  a  little  of 


The  Fainting  Hero.  195 

vaunting  and  vain-glorjing  in  his  conduct ;  but,  in  a 
moment,  a  sudden  faintness  gathered  over  him.  He 
had  been  exerting  himself  most  marvellously,  straining 
every  nerve  and  muscle,  and  now,  being  sore  athirst, 
he  looked  round  him  for  a  stream  of  water,  but  there 
was  none ;  and  he  felt  as  if  for  lack  of  water  he  must 
die,  and  then  the  Philistines  would  rejoice  over  him. 
With  that  simple-minded  faith  which  was  so  charac- 
teristic of  Samson,  who  was  nothing  but  a  big  child, 
he  turned  his  eye  to  his  heavenly  Father,  and  cried — • 
"  O  Jehovah,  thou  hast  given  me  this  great  deliverance, 
and  now  shall  I  die  for  thirst  ?  After  all  that  thou 
hast  done  forme,  shall  the  uncircumcised  rejoice  over  me 
because  I  die  for  want  of  a  drink  of  water  ? "  Such  con- 
fidence had  he  that  God  would  interpose  on  his  behalf. 
l^ow,  my  drift  is  the  comforting  of  God's  saints, 
especially  in  coming  to  the  table  of  their  Lord.  I  have 
thought  there  may  be  many  of  you  who  are  feeling  in 
an  unhappy  and  a  distressed  frame  of  mind,  and  that 
by  referring  you  to  what  God  has  already  done  for 
you  I  might  lead  you  to  set  a  lighter  estimate  upon 
your  present  trouble,  and  enable  you  to  argue  that  he 
who  has  wrought  great  deliverances  for  you  in  the 
past  will  not  suffer  you  to  lack  in  the  future. 

I.  Yor  HAVE  ALREADY,  MY  BKOTHERS  AND  SISTERS, 
EXPERIENCED   GREAT   DELIVERANCES. 

Happy  is  it  for  you  that  you  have  not  had  the  slay- 
ing of  a  thousand  men,  but  there  are  "heaps  upon 
heaps"  of  another  sort  upon  which  you  may  look  with 
quite  as  much  satisfaction  as  Samson,  and  perhaps  with 
less  mingled  emotions  than  his,  when  he  gazed  on  the 
slaughtered  Philistines.     See  there,  beloved,  the  great 


196  Types  and  Emhlems. 

heaps  of  your  sins,  all  of  them  giants,  and  any  one  of 
them  sufficient  to  drag  you  down  to  the  lowest  hell. 
But,  they  are  all  slain  ;  there  is  not  a  single  sin  that 
speaks  a  word  against  you.  "  Who  shall  lay  anything 
to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ? "  Another  arm  than 
yours  has  done  it,  but  the  victory  is  quite  as  complete. 
Christ  returns  wnth  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah ;  he 
has  trodden  the  wine-press  of  God's  w^rath,  and  I  may 
almost  say  that  the  blood  which  stains  his  apparel  is 
the  blood  of  your  sins,  which  he  has  utterly  destroyed 
for  ever.  Look  at  their  number.  Take  so  many  years, 
and  make  each  year  a  heap.  Divide  them,  if  you  will, 
into  groups  and  classes  ;  put  them  under  the  heads  of 
the  ten  commands,  and  there  they  lie,  in  ten  great 
heaps,  but  every  one  of  them  destroyed. 

Think,  too,  of  the  heaps  of  your  doiibts  and  fears. 
Do  you  not  remember  when  you  thought  God  would 
never  have  mercy  upon  you  ?  Let  me  remind  you  of 
the  low  dungeon  where  there  was  no  water,  w^hen  the 
iron  entered  into  your  soul.  Some  of  us  can  never  for- 
get the  time  when  we  were  under  conviction.  Moses 
tied  us  up  to  the  halberts,  and  took  the  ten-thonged 
whip  of  the  law,  and  laid  it  upon  our  backs  most  ter- 
ribly, and  then  seemed  to  wash  us  with  brine  as  con- 
science reminded  us  of  all  the  aggravations  which  had 
attended  our  sins.  But,  though  we  feared  we  should 
have  been  in  hell,  though  we  thought  that  surely  the 
pit  would  shut  its  mouth  upon  us ;  yet,  here  we  are 
living  to  praise  God,  as  we  do  this  day,  and  all  our 
fears  are  gone.  We  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus.  God 
"hath  not  dealt  with  us  according  to  our  sins,  nor 
rewarded  us  after  our  iniquities."  "  Heaps  upon  heaps" 


The  Fainting  Hero.  197 

of  fears  have  we  had;  bigger  heaps  than  our  sins,  but 
there  they  lie — troops  of  doubters.  There  are  their 
bones  and  their  skulls,  as  Bunyan  pictured  them  out- 
side the  town  of  Man  soul ;  but  they  are  all  dead,  God 
having  wrought  for  us  a  deliverance  from  them. 

Another  set  of  foes  that  God  has  slain  includes  our 
temptations.  Some  of  us  have  been  tempted  from  every 
quarter  of  the  world,  from  every  corner  of  the  compass. 
Sometimes  it  has  been  pride ;  at  another  time  despair. 
Sometimes  it  has  been  too  much  of  the  world,  and  at 
others  it  has  been  too  little.  Sometimes  we  have  been 
too  strong  and  puffed  up ;  at  other  times  we  have 
been  too  weak  and  cast  down.  There  has  sometimes 
been  a  lack  of  faith,  and  at  others  our  fervency  may 
have  been  inflamed  by  the  flesh.  The  best  of  men  are 
shot  at  with  the  devil's  worst  darts.  You  have  been 
tempted  by  Satan;  you  have  been  tempted  by  the 
world ;  your  nearest  and  dearest  friends  have,  perhaps, 
been  your  worst  tempters,  for,  "  a  man's  foes  shall  be 
they  of  his  own  household."  There  has  not  been  a 
bush  behind  which  an  enemy  has  not  lurked,  no  inch 
of  the  road  to  Canaan  which  has  not  been  overgrown 
with  thorns. 

"  Trials  of  every  shape  and  name 
Await  the  followers  of  the  Lamb, 
Who  leave  the  world's  deceitful  shore. 
And  leave  it  to  return  no  more." 

But,  look  back  upon  them.  Your  temptations,  where 
are  they  ?  Your  soul  has  escaped  like  a  bird  out  of 
the  snare  of  the  fowler,  and  this  night  you  can  say, 
"They  compassed  me  about  like  bees;  yea,  like  bees 
they  compassed  me  about ;  but  in  the  name  of  God 
have  I  destroyed  them ;  I  have  passed  safely  where 


198  Types  and  Emblems, 

others  have  been  ruiued  ;  I  have  walked  along  the 
walls  of  salvation  when  others  have  been  lying  at  the 
foot  thereof,  dashed-  in  pieces  by  their  presumption 
and  their  self-confidence  ;  '  heaps  upon  heaps '  of  my 
temptations  have  been  slain,  and  thou,  O  God,  hast 
wrought  for  me  a  great  deliverance  ! " 

So,  let  me  say,  in  the  next  place,  has  it  heen  with 
inost  of  your  sorrows.  You,  sons  and  daughters  of 
tribulation,  have  sometimes  sat  down  and  said,  "  All 
these  things  are  against  me  !  "  You  have  lost  children, 
friends  have  died,  business  has  departed,  wealth  has 
melted,  almost  every  comfort  has  had  a  blight  upon 
it.  Likei  Job's  messengers,  evil  tidings  have  followed 
one  another,  and  yo}i  have  been  brought  very  low. 
But,  beloved  in  Christ  Jesus,  you  have  been  delivered. 
"Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous,  but  the 
Lord  delivereth  him  out  of  them  all."  It  has  been  so 
in  your  case.  Whatever  form  the  affliction  has  taken, 
mercy  has  taken  a  form  to  meet  it.  When  the  arrow 
flew,  God  was  your  shield  ;  when  the  darkness  gathered, 
he  was  your  sun ;  when  you  had  to  fight,  he  was  your 
sword ;  when  you  needed  to  be  supported,  he  was 
your  rod  and  3^our  staff. 

"  Thus  far  we've  proved  that  promise  good 
Which  Jesus  ratified  with  blood  ; 
Still  is  he  gracious,  wise,  and  just, 
And  still  in  him  let  Israel  trust." 

I  will  let  no  man  in  this  congregation  take  a  place  be- 
fore me  in  obligation  to  the  Most  High.  Brethren, 
we  are  all  debtors,  and  I  count  myself  most  of  all  a 
debtor.  I  boast  that  I  have  nothing  to  boast  of.  I 
would  desire  to  lie  the  lowest,  and  to  take  the  meanest 


The  Fainting  Hero,  199 

place,  for  I  owe  most  of  all  to  the  grace  of  God.  When 
I  look  back  to  my  parentage,  when  I  see  whence  the 
Lord  has  brought  me,  and  what  he  has  done  for  me 
and  by  me,  I  can  only  say,  *'  Thou  hast  given  to  thy 
servant  this  great  deliverance !  "  And,  I  suppose,  if 
all  tlie  people  of  God  could  meet  here  one  by  one,  they 
would  each  claim  that  there  is  something  peculiar  in 
their  every  case  ;  each  one  would  say,  "  There  is  some- 
thing in  the  deliverance  God  has  wrought  for  me  that 
demands  of  me  a  special  song ; "  therefore,  let  the 
whole  of  us  together,  who  have  "  known  and  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious,"  look  back  upon  the  past 
with  thankfulness  and  praise  to  the  Lord. 

11.  Yet  fkesh  troubles  will  assail  yoij,  and  excite 
YOUR  ALARM.  Thus  Samsou  was  thirsty.  This  was  a 
new  kind  of  want  to  him.  He  was  so  thirsty  that  he  was 
near  to  die.  The  difficulty  was  totally  different  from 
any  that  Samson  had  met  before.  Shake  those  Sam- 
sonian  locks  in  which  thy  strength  lieth,  but  they  can- 
not distil  a  single  drop  of  dew^  to  moisten  thy  mouth  ! 
The  strong  man  is  as  much  amenable  to  thirst  as  the 
weak,  and  that  arm  which  could  slay  a  thousand  Philis- 
tines, cannot  open  a  fountain  in  the  earth,  draw  down  a 
shower  from  the  skies,  or  yield  to  thirst  a  single  draught 
of  water.  He  is  in  a  new  plight.  Of  course  it  seems 
to  you  to  be  a  far  simpler  matter  than  he  had  known 
before,  and  so  it  was.  Merely  to  get  thirst  assuaged  is 
not  anything  like  so  great  a  thing  as  to  be  delivered  from 
a  thousand  Philistines.  But  I  dare  say  w4ien  the  thirst 
was  upon  him,  and  oppressed  him,  Samson  felt  that 
little  present  difficulty  more  weighty  and  severe  than  the 
gi'eat  past  difficulty  out  of  which  he  had  so  specially 


200  Type8  and  EinUems. 

been  delivered.  Now  I  think,  beloved,  there  may  be 
some  of  you  who  have  been  forgiven,  saved,  delivered, 
and  yet  you  do  not  feel  happy  to-night.  "  God  has  done 
great  things  for  you,  whereof  you  are  glad,"  yet  you 
cannot  rejoice  ;  the  song  of  your  thanksgiving  is  hushed. 
A  little  inconvenience  in  getting  into  your  pews  ;  a  hasty 
word  spoken  by  somebody  outside  the  gate  ;  the  thought 
of  a  child  at  home,  something  which  is  very  little  and 
insignificant  compared  with  all  that  God  has  wrought 
for  you,  will  sometimes  take  away  the  present  joy  and 
comfort  of  the  great,  the  unspeakably  great  boons  which 
you  have  received.  You  may  know  your  standing  in 
Christ,  and  yet  some  little  trouble  keeps  buzzing  about 
your  ears,  and  may  be  distracting  you  even  now.  Let 
me  say  two  or  three  words  to  you.  It  is  very  usual  for 
God's  people,  when  they  have  had  some  great  deliver- 
ance, to  have  some  little  trouble  that  is  too  much  for 
them.  Samson  slays  a  thousand  Philistines,  and  piles 
them  up  in  heaps,  and  then  he  must  needs  die  for  want 
of  a  little  water  !  Look  at  Jacob  ;  he  wrestles  with  God 
at  Peniel,  and  overcomes  omnipotence  itself,  and  yet  he 
goes  "  halting  on  his  thigh  !  "  Strange,  is  it  not,  that 
there  must  be  a  touching  of  the  sinew  whenever  you  and 
I  win  the  day  ?  It  seems  as  if  God  must  teach  us  our 
littleness,  or  nothingness,  in  order  to  keep  us  within 
bounds.  Samson  seems  to  have  crowed  right  loudly 
when  he  said,  "  Have  I  slain  a  thousand  men  ?"  Ah  ! 
Samson,  it  is  time  thy  throat  became  hoarse  when 
thou  canst  boast  so  loudly.  The  mighty  man  has  to  go 
down  on  his  knees  and  cry,  "  O  God,  this  thirst  will  over- 
come thy  hero  ;  send  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  draught  of 
water."     God  has  ways  of  touching  his  people,  so  that 


The  Fainting  Hero.  201 

their  energy  soon  vanishes.  "I  said  my  mountain 
Btandeth  firm,  I  shall  not  be  moved  ;  thou  didst  hide  thy 
fiice,  and  I  was  troubled."  Now,  dear  child  of  God,  if 
this  is  your  case,  I  say  it  is  not  an  unusual  one.  There 
is  a  reaction  which  generally  follows  any  strong  excite- 
ment. No  doubt  the  excitement  of  having  slain  the 
Philistines  would  naturally  be  followed  by  depression 
of  spirits  in  Samson.  When  David  had  mounted  the 
throne  of  Israel  there  came  the  reaction,  and  he  said, 
"  I  am  this  day  weak,  though  anointed  king."  You 
must  expect  to  feel  weakest  just  when  you  are  enjoying 
your  greatest  triumph. 

I  have  already  said  that  the  use  of  all  this  is  to  make 
a  man  feel  his  weakness.  I  hope  it  makes  you  feel 
yours.  What  fools  we  are,  brethren,  and  yet  if  some 
one  else  were  to  call  us  fools  we  should  not  like  it, 
though  I  do  not  doubt  but  that  we  are  very  well  named, 
whoever,  may  give  us  the  title,  for  the  whole  of  heaven 
cannot  make  us  rejoice  if  we  have  one  pain  in  our  head  ; 
and  all  the  harps  of  angels,  and  our  knowledge  of  our 
interest  in  "  the  glory  that  is  to  be  revealed,"  cannot 
make  us  happy  if  some  little  thing  happens  to  go  con- 
trary to  our  minds.  Somebody  trod  on  the  corns  of 
your  pride  as  you  were  coming  in  here,  and  if  an  angel 
had  preached  to  you  you  would  not  have  enjoyed  it, 
because  of  your  mind  being  discomposed.  Oh  !  simple- 
tons that  we  are  !  The  table  is  daintily  spread  ;  the 
manna  of  heaven  lies  close  to  our  hand,  but,  because 
there  is  a  little  rent  in  the  garment,  or  a  small  thorn 
in  the  finger,  we  sit  down  and  cry  as  though  the  worst 
of  ills  had  happened  to  us !  Heaven  is  thine  own,  and 
yet  thou  criest  because  thy  little  room  is  scantily 
9* 


202  Tyjpes  mid  Emhlems. 

furnished  !  God  is  thy  Father,  and  Clirist  thy  brother, 
and  yet  thou  weepest  because  a  babe  has  been  taken  from 
thee  to  the  skies  !  Thy  sins  are  all  forgiven,  and  yet 
thou  mournest  because  thy  clothes  are  mean.  Thou 
art  a  child  of  God,  an  heir  of  heaven,  and  yet  thou 
sorrowest  as  though  thou  wouldst  break  thy  heart  be- 
cause a  fool  hath  called  thee  ill  names  !  Strange  is  it ! 
foolish  ;  but  such  is  man — strangely  foolish,  and  only 
wise  as  God  shall  make  him  so. 

III.  If,  my  brethren,  you  are  now  feeling  any 
present  trouble  pressing  so  sorely  that  it  takes  away 
from  you  all  power  to  rejoice  in  your  deliverance,  I 
want  you  to  remember  that  Yor  are  still  secuke. 
God  will  as  certainly  bring  you  out  of  this  present  lit- 
tle trouble  as  he  has  brought  you  out  of  all  the  great 
troubles  in  the  past. 

He  will  do  this  for  two  reasons,  both  of  which  are 
found  in  the  text.  The  first  is,  because  if  he  does  not  do 
it  your  enemy  will  rejoice  over  you.  "  What,"  saith 
Samson,  ^'  shall  I  fall  by  the  hand  of  the  uncircum- 
cised  ?  Faint,  weary,  thirsty,  shall  I  become  their 
victim — I  who  was  once  their  terror,  and  made  the  dam- 
sels of  Gath  and  of  Askelon  to  weep  instead  of  to  dance? 
Shall  /  be  slain  ? "  And  what  say  you  ?  But  hush 
your  gloomy  forebodings.  If  you  perish,  the  honor  of 
Christ  will  be  tarnished,  and  the  laughter  of  hell  will 
be  excited.  Bought  with  Jesu's  blood,  and  yet  in  hell 
— what  merriment  there  would  be  in  the  pit  ?  Justi- 
fied by  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  and  yet  lost — what 
a  theme  of  scorn  for  fiends  !  Sanctified  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  yet  damned — oh  !  what  yells  of  triumph  would 
go  up  from  the  abode  of  Apollyon  and  his  angels ! 


The  Fainting  Hero.  203 

"What !  a  child  of  God  forsaken  of  his  Father  !  A  jewel 
plucked  from  Jesu's  crown  !  A  member  rent  from  Jesil's 
body  !  Never,  never,  never  !  God  will  never  permit 
the  power  of  darkness  to  triumph  over  the  power  of 
light.  His  great  name  he  ever  hath  in  respect,  and  the 
ruin  of  the  meanest  believer  would  be  the  cause  of 
dishonor  and  disrespect  to  God,  therefore  you  are 
safe !  Oh  !  it  is  such  a  blessed  thing  when  you  can  run 
behind  your  God  for  shelter.  Some  youngster  out  in 
the  street  has  been  offending  his  fellow,  and  is  likely  to 
receive  a  blow ;  but  here  comes  his  father,  and  he  runs 
behind  his  father's  skirt  and  feels  that  there  is  no  fear 
for  him  now.  So  let  us  shelter  ourselves  behind  our 
God.  Better  than  brazen  wall,  or  castle,  or  high  tower, 
shall  Jehovah  be  to  us,  and  we  may  then  look  at  all  our 
enemies,  and  say,  as  Isaiah  did  to  Sennacherib,  "  The 
virgin  daughter  of  Zion  hath  despised  thee,  and  shaken 
her  head  at  thee  !  "  The  uncircumcised  shall  not  re- 
joice ;  the  daughters  of  Philistia  shall  not  triumph. 
We  are  our  God's,  and  he  w^ill  keep  his  own  until  the 
day  when  he  shall  display  them  as  his  jewels. 

That  is  one  reason  for  confidence,  but  another  reason 
is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  God  has  already  delivered 
you.  I  asked  you  just  now  to  walk  over  the  battle- 
field of  your  life,  and  observe  the  heaps  upon  heaps  of 
slaughtered  sins,  and  fears,  and  cares,  and  troubles.  Do 
you  think  he  would  have  done  all  that  he  has  done  for 
youif  he  had  intended  to  leave  you  ?  The  God  who  has 
so  graciously  delivered  you  hitherto  has  not  changed ;  he 
is  still  the  same  that  he  ever  was.  I  have  no  doubt  about 
the  sun  rising  to-morrow  morning  ;  he  always  has  done 
BO  since  I  have  been  able  to  see  him.     Why  should  I 


204  Types  and  Emblems. 

doubt  my  God,  for  he  is  more  certain  than  the  sun  ? 
The  I^ile  ceases  not  to  make  Egypt  laugh  with  plenty  ; 
men  trust  it,  and  why  should  not  I  trust  my  God,  who 
is  a  river  full  of  water,  overflowing  with  lovingkindness. 
If  we  never  doubt  God  till  we  have  cause  to  do  so,  dis- 
trust will  be  banished  from  our  hearts  for  ever.  Of 
men  we  speak  as  we  find  ;  let  us  do  the  same  with 
God.  Was  he  ever  a  wilderness  to  you  ?  When  did 
he  forsake  you  ?  When  did  your  cries  return  without 
an  answer  ?  What,  has  he  ever  said,  "  I  have  blotted 
you  out  of  my  book,  and  I  will  remember  you  no 
more !  "  You  have  doubted  him,  wickedly  and  wan- 
tonly, but  never  have  you  had  any  cause  for  suspicion 
or  mistrust.  Now,  since  he  is  "  the  same  yesterday, 
and  to-day,  and  for  ever,"  the  God  who  delivered  you 
out  of  the  jaw  of  the  lion  and  out  of  the  paw  of  the 
bear,  w411  yet  deliver  you  out  of  your  present  difficulty. 
Bethink  you,  dear  friend,  if  he  does  not  do  so  he 
will  lose  all  that  he  has  done.  When  I  see  a  potter 
making  a  vessel,  if  he  is  using  some  delicate  clay  upon 
which  he  has  spent  much  preliminary  labor  to  bring  it 
to  its  proper  fineness ;  and  if  I  see  him  again,  and  again, 
and  again  moulding  the  vessel — if  I  see,  moreover,  that 
the  pattern  is  coming  out — if  I  know  that  he  has  put 
it  in  the  oven,  and  that  the  colors  are  beginning  to 
display  themselves — I  bethink  me  were  it  common 
delf  ware  I  could  understand  his  breaking  up  what  he 
had  done,  because  it  would  be  but  worth  little ;  but 
since  it  is  a  piece  of  rich  and  rare  porcelain  upon  which 
months  of  labor  had  been  spared,  I  could  not  under- 
stand his  saying,  "  I  will  not  go  on  with  it ;  "  because 
he  would  lose  so  much  that  he  has  already  spent.     Look 


The  Fainting  Hero.  205 

at  some  of  those  rich  vessels  by  Bernard  de  Palissy, 
which  are  worth  their  weight  in  gold,  and  you  can 
hardly  imagine  Bernard  stopping  when  he  had  almost 
finished,  and  saying,  "  I  have  been  six  months  over 
this,  but  I  shall  never  take  the  pains  to  complete  it." 
Now,  God  has  spent  the  blood  of  his  own  dear  Son 
to  save  you  ;  he  has  spent  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  make  you  what  he  would  have  you  be,  and  he  will 
never  stay  his  mighty  hand  till  his  work  is  done. 
*'  Hath  he  said,  and  shall  he  not  do  it  ?  Hath  he  begun, 
and  shall  he  not  complete  ?  "  God  will  have  no  unfin- 
ished works.  When  Jehovah's  banner  is  furled,  and 
his  sword  is  sheathed,  then  shall  he  cry — 

"  'Tis  done, 
For  the  kingdoms  of  this  world 
Are  the  kingdoms  of  my  Son." 

In  that  day  every  vessel  that  he  prepared  for  glory  shall 
stand  in  that  glory,  having  been  made  perfectly  meet 
for  it.  Do  not,  then,  despair,  because  of  your  present 
trouble. 

Doubtless  some  of  you-  are  saying  that  I  am  speaking 
as  one  who  does  not  know  the  occasion  or  the  bitterness 
of  your  peculiar  distress.  My  dear  friends,  I  do  not 
care  to  know  it.  Enough  for  me  to  know  that  if  God 
has  wrought  for  his  servants  so  great  a  deliverance  as 
he  has  done,  the  present  difficulty  is  only  like  Samson's 
thirst,  and  I  am  sure  he  will  not  let  you  die  of  faint- 
ness,  nor  suffer  the  daughter  of  the  uncircumcised  to 
triumph  over  you.  ^'  Ah !  "  says  one,  "  it  is  all  very 
well  talking,  but  mine  is  a  very,  very,  very  peculiar 
case."  Well,  then,  dear  brother,  there  is  a  special 
reason  why  God  should  deliver  you,  because,  if  Satan 


20G  Types  and  Emhlems. 

could  overcome  in  that  peculiar  case,  he  would  then 
say  that  he  could  have  overcome  all  the  saints  if  he 
could  have  got  them  into  the  same  corner,  and  he  would 
loudly  boast,  just  as  though  the  whole  had  perished. 
But  I  do  not  think  that  your  case  is  so  very  peculiar ; 
it  is  only  the  way  in  which  you  look  at  it.  The  road 
of  sorrow  has  been  well  trodden;  it  is  the  regular 
sheep-track  to  heaven,  and  all  the  flock  of  God  have  had 
to  pass  along  it.  So,  I  pray  you,  cheer  up  your  heart 
with  Samson's  words,  and  rest  assured  that  God  will 
deliver  you  soon. 

And  now,  while  I  have  been  talking  thus,  the 
thought  has  sprung  up  in  my  breast  that  many  people 
listen  to  me  who  are  not  Christians.  My  friends,  my 
great  wonder  is,  what  some  of  you  do  without  God. 
I  can  hardly  understand  how  the  rich  man  can 
have  any  comfort  without  God,  for  he  must  suffer 
from  bereavement  and  bodily  pain  as  well  as  the  poor. 
Those  silly  butterflies  of  fashion,  who  spend  all  their 
time  in  flitting  about  from  flower  to  flower,  are  so 
heartless  and  thoughtless  that  I  cannot  comprehend 
how  they  can  do  without  God.  With  empty  heads  and 
silly  hearts  men  and  women  can  make  gods  of  anything  ; 
their  own  pretty  persons  can  be  quite  sufficient  object 
for  their  idiotic  worship.  But  a  man  that  stands  right 
straight  up,  a  sensible  thinking  man — a  working  man  if 
you  will — I  do  not  mind  whether  he  works  with  the  dry 
heat  of  his  brain  or  with  the  damp  sweat  of  his  face — I 
cannot  understand  how  a  man  like  this,  with  organs  of 
thought  and  a  reasoning  soul,  can  go  on  without  God. 
There  must  be  pinches  with  some  of  you  when  you  want 
a  God.  I  had  been  in  a  madhouse  a  dozen  times  if  it  had 


The  Fainting  Hero.  207 

not  been  for  my  God.  My  feet  had  altogether  gone 
into  the  chambers  of  despair,  and  I  had  ended  this  life, 
if  it  had  not  been  for  the  faithful  promises  of  the  God 
that  keeps  and  preserves  his  people.  My  life  has  not 
been  a  miserable,  but  a  happy  one  ;  and  yet  I  tell  you 
that  there  have  been  times  in  it  when  I  could  not  have 
done  without  my  God.  I  do  not  understand  what  some 
of  you,  who  are  always  at  the  pinch,  do  without  God. 
There  are  many  such  here.  You  are  poor ;  you  are  not 
often  without  sickness ;  you  were  born  inheritors  of 
maladies  that  make  your  life  wretched  ;  your  children 
are  sickly  about  you ;  it  is  as  much  as  you  can  do  by 
Saturday  night  to  make  ends  meet ;  you  are  frequently 
in  debt ;  you  are  constantly  in  trouble.  Oh  !  I  cannot 
tell  what  you  do  without  God.  Why,  you  have  nothing 
here,  and  no  hope  of  anything  hereafter !  Poor  souls, 
I  could  weep  for  you  to  think  that  you  are  without  God  ! 
I  went  some  time  ago  into  the  house  of  our  brother 
Stephenson ;  a  good  soldier  of  the  cross  was  he :  he 
fell  asleep  in  Jesus ;  and  when  I  saw  his  weeping  sons 
and  daughters,  I  felt,  "  I  have  easy  work  here."  I  said 
to  them,  "  Why,  what  a  mercy  it  is  that  your  father  is 
gone,  for  he  has  lingered  long  in  pain,  and  you  know 
how  ready  he  was  to  enter  into  rest."  That  was  very 
different  from  what  sometimes  happens.  Only  a  little 
while  ago  a  sister  came  to  me  weeping  as  if  she  would 
break  her  heart.  "  Ah,  sir,"  said  she,  "  my  brother  is 
dead,  and  he  died  without  hope."  It  was  a  sad  case, 
but  then  she  had  a  God  to  repair  to  even  under  that 
sharp  trial.  But,  when  death  comes  into  your  house, 
you  have  no  God  !  I  knelt  down  and  prayed  with 
those   poor  weeping  girls  this  morning,  and,  though 


208  Types  and  Emblems. 

their  father  was  but  just  dead,  I  marked  that  the  voice 
of  prayer  had  evidently  a  soothing  charm  about  it,  and 
though  they  wept,  yet  it  seemed  to  soothe  and  pacify 
them.  But  some  of  you  do  not  pray,  and,  therefore, 
this  comfort  cannot  be  yours. 

And  you  will  come  to  die  soon.  When  the  death- 
thirst  is  in  your  throat,  what  do  you  think  you  will  do 
without  God  ?  To  die  in  God's  presence,  is  simply  to 
let  life  blossom  into  something  better  than  life ;  but  to 
die  without  God  must  be  horrible  !  You  will  not  want 
your  boon  companions  then.  Strong  drink  will  not 
pacify  you  then.  Music  will  have  no  charms  for  you 
then.  The  love  of  a  tender  and  gentle  wife  can  yield 
you  but  sorry  comfort  then.  You  may  lay  your  money 
bags  at  your  side,  but  they  will  not  calm  your  palpita- 
ting heart  then.  You  will  hear  the  boomings  of  the 
waves  of  the  great  sea  of  eternity ;  you  will  feel  your 
feet  slipping  into  the  dreadful  quicksand ;  you  will 
clutch  about  you  for  help,  but  there  will  be  none  ! 
Instead  thereof,  invisible  hands  shall  begin  to  pull  you 
down.  And  down  through  the  dark  sea  you  must 
descend  to  those  darker  depths  where  dread  despair 
will  be  your  everlasting  heritage  ! 

But  there  is  hope  yet.  Whosoever  believeth  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  shall  be  saved.  Turn  thine  eye  to 
Christ,  poor  sinner,  as  he  hangs  there  suffering  in 
man's  stead,  taking  human  guilt  on  himself,  and  being 
punished  for  it  as  though  it  were  his  own.  Trust  him, 
sinner,  and  resting  in  Jesus,  thou  shalt  be  saved  I 


onun's  lligfets.— |,  f  waHe. 

"  And  Moses  brought  their  cause  before  the  Lord. " — Num.  xxvii.  5. 

& 

lY  the  help  of  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  I  want  to 
use  this  incident,  which  forms  a  kind  of  episode 
in  the  rehearsal  of  the  history  of  Israel's  forty 
years'  wanderings  in  the  wilderness,  for  a 
twofold  purpose.  First,  let  me  indicate  its 
general  teaching,  and,  secondly,  let  me  take  it  as  a 
ground  of  appeal  to  certain  special  classes. 
In  respect  to  its  general  teaching. 
I  would  ask  your  attention,  and  exhibit  for  your 
imitation,  the  faith  which  these  five  young  women, 
the  daughters  of  Tj<dio'^\\^2i^,  jposseased  with  regard  to 
the  protnised  inheritance.  You  must  remember  that 
the  children  of  Israel  were  still  in  the  wilderness. 
They  had  not  seen  the  promised  land,  but  God  had 
made  a  covenant  with  them  that  they  should  possess  it. 
He  had  declared  that  he  would  bring  them  into  a  land 
which  flowed  with  milk  and  honey,  and  there  plant 
them ;  and  that  that  land  should  belong  to  them  and 
to  their  descendants  by  a  covenant  of  salt  for  ever. 
Now,  these  women  believed  in  this  heritage.  They 
were  not  like  Esau,  who  thought  so  little  of  the  inheri- 


210  Types  and  Eiriblems. 

tance  that  he  sold  it  to  his  brother  Jacob  for  a  mess  of 
pottage ;  but  they  believed  it  to  be  really  worth  having ; 
they  regarded  it,  though  they  had  never  beheld  it,  as 
being  sonaething  exceedingly  substantial,  and,  so  look- 
ing upon  it,  they  were  afraid  lest  they  should  be  left 
out  when  the  land  was  divided  ;  and,  though  they  had 
never  seen  it,  yet,  being  persuaded  that  it  was  some- 
where, and  that  the  children  of  Israel  would  have  it  in 
due  time,  their  anxiety  was  lest  they,  having  no  broth- 
ers, should  be  forgotten  in  the  distribution,  and  so 
should  lose  their  rights.  They  were  anxious  about  an 
inheritance  which  they  had  never  seen  with  their  eyes. 
IN'ow,  herein  I  hold  them  up  to  the  imitation  of  this 
present  assembly.  There  is  an  inheritance  far  better 
than  the  land  of  Canaan.  Oh,  that  we  all  believed  in 
it,  and  longed  for  it !  It  is  an  inheritance,  however, 
which  eye  hath  not  seen,  and  the  sound  whereof  ear 
hath  not  heard.  It  is  a  city  whose  streets  are  gold, 
but  none  of  us  have  ever  trodden  them.  Kever  hath 
traveller  to  that  country  come  back  to  tell  us  of  its 
glories.  There  the  music  never  ceases;  no  discord 
ever  mingles  in  it :  it  is  sublime  ;  but  no  member  of 
the  heavenly  choir  has  ever  come  to  write  out  for  us 
the  celestial  score,  or  to 

"  Teach  us  some  melodious  sonnet 
Sung  by  flaming  tongues  above." 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  sight ;  it  must  be  to  each  one  of 
lis  a  matter  of  faith.  By  faith  we  know  that  there  is 
another  and  a  letter  land.  By  faith  we  understand 
that  our  disembodied  souls  shall  mount  to  be  with 
Christ,  and  that,  after  awhile,  our  bodies  also  shall 
rise  to  join  our  spirits,  that  body  and  soul  may  together 


Women^s  Rights. — A  Parable.  211 

be  glorified  for  ever  in  the  presence  of  our  gracious 
Redeemer.  We  have  never  seen  this  land  however ;  bu  t 
there  be  some  of  us  who  as  firmly  believe  in  it  as  if  we  had 
seen  it,  and  are  as  certain  of  it  and  as  persuaded,  as  though 
these  ears  of  ours  had  listened  to  its  songs  of  joy,  and 
these  feet  of  ours  had  trodden  its  streets  of  gold. 

There  was  this  feature,  too,  about  the  faith  of  these 
five  women — they  knew  that  the  inheritance  was  only  to 
he  won  hy  encountering  great  difficulties.  The  spies  who 
came  back  from  the  land  had  said  that  the  men  who 
dwelt  in  it  were  giants.  They  said,  "  We  were  in  their 
sight  at  grasshoppers  ;  yea,  we  were  in  our  own  sight  as 
grasshoppers  when  we  looked  upon  them.'*  There  were 
many  in  the  camp  of  Israel,  I  have  no  doubt,  who 
said,  "  Well,  I  would  sell  my  share  cheaply  enough ; 
for  though  the  land  be  there,  we  never  can  win  it ; 
they  have  cities  walled  up  to  heaven,  and  they  have 
chariots  of  iron  ;  we  can  never  win  the  place."  But 
these  women  believed  that  though  they  could  not  fight, 
God  could  ;  and  though  they  had  never  put  their 
fingers  to  a  more  terrible  instrument  than  a  needle, 
yet  did  they  believe  that  the  same  right  arm  which 
got  to  itself  the  victory  when  they  went  with  Miriam, 
dancing  to  the  timbrel's  jubilant  sound,  would  get  the 
victory  again,  and  bring  his  people  in,  and  drive  out 
the  Canaanites,  even  though  they  had  walled  cities 
and  chariots  of  iron.  So  these  women  had  strons: 
faith.  I  would  to  God  that  you  had  the  same,  all  of  you, 
dear  friends  ;  but  I  know  that  some  of  you  who  do  be- 
lieve ^that  there  is  a  land  which  floweth  with  milk  and 
honey  are  half  afraid  that  you  shall  never  reach  it.  They 
are  vexed  with  many  doubts  because  of  their  own  weak- 


212  Types  and  Emhlems. 

ness,  which,  indeed,  should  not  make  them  doubt,  but 
should  make  them  despair  utterly  if  the  getting  of  the 
goodly  land  depended  upon  their  own  fighting  for  it  and 
winning  it.  But,  inasmuch  as  "  the  gift  of  God  is  eter- 
nal life,"  and  God  himself  will  give  it  to  us,  and  inas- 
much as  Jesus  has  gone  up  on  high  to  prepare  a  place 
for  us,  and  has  promised  that  he  will  come  again  and 
receive  us  unto  himself,  that  where  he  is  there  we  may 
be  also,  I  would  to  God  that  our  doubts  and  fears  were 
banished,  and  that  we  said  within  ourselves,  "We  are 
able  to  go  up  and  attack  the  land,  for  the  Lord,  even  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  is  with  us  ;  Jehovah-nissi  is  our  banner  ; 
the  Lord  our  righteousness  is  our  helper,  and  we  shall 
surely  enter  into  the  place  of  the  beloved,  and  shall  join 
the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born  whose 
names  are  written  in  heaven." 

I  commend  the  faith  of  those  women  to  you  because, 
believing  in  the  land,  and  believing  that  it  would  be 
won,  they  loere  not  to  he  put  about  hy  the  ill  report  of 
some  ivho  said  that  it  tvas  not  a  good  land.  There  were 
ten  out  of  the  twelve  who  spied  out  the  land,  who  said, 
*'  It  is  a  land  that  eateth  up  the  inhabitants  thereof." 
They  brought  back  an  evil  report.  But,  whoever  may 
have  been  perverted  by  these  falsehoods,  these  five 
women  were  not.  Others  said,  "  Wlw,  the  land  is  full  of 
pestilence  and  full  of  hornets,  and  those  who  live  in  it 
now  are  dying,"  forgetting  that  God  was  making  them 
to  die  in  order  to  bring  in  the  children  of  Israel  in  their 
stead  ;  and  so  they  said,  "  who  cares  to  have  a  portion 
there  ?  Give  us  the  leeks  and  the  garlic,  and  the  onions 
of  Egypt,  and  let  us  sit  again  by  the  flesh-pots  that  we 
had  at  Kameses  ;  but  as  for  going  on  to  this  Canaan,  we 


Wo7ne7i's  Bights. — A  Parable.  213 

will  never  do  it."  But  these  five  women,  who  knew  that 
if  there  were  troubles  in  the  household  they  would  be 
sure  to  have  their  share  of  them,  that  if  the  bread  ran 
short  they  would  be  the  most  likely  to  feel  the  strait- 
ness  of  it,  and  that  if  it  were  a  land  of  sickness  they 
would  have  to  be  the  nurses,  yet  coveted  to  have  their 
share  in  it,  for  they  did  not  believe  the  ill  report.  They 
said  :  ''  No  ;  God  hath  said  it  is  a  good  land  ;  a  land  of 
hills  and  valleys,  a  land  of  brooks  and  rivers,  a  land  of 
oil-olives,  a  land  out  of  whose  bowels  they  might  dig 
iron,  and  brass,  and  gold,  and  silver ;  and  we  will  not 
believe  what  these  spies  say  ;  it  is  a  good  land,  and  we 
will  go  in  and  ask  for  our  share  in  it."  So  I  commend 
their  faith  in  this  respect.  I  know  some  of  you  are 
occasionally  met  by  sneering  sceptics,  and  they  say, 
"  There  is  no  such  land ;  we  have  never  seen  it ;  are  you 
such  fools  as  to  believe  it ;  are  you  going  on  a  pilgrimage 
over  hedge  and  ditch,  helter-skelter,  after  a  country  that 
you  know  nothing  of  ?  Are  you  going  to  be  led  by  the 
nose  ?  Trust  that  old-fashioned  book ;  and  take  his 
w^ord,  and  nothing  but  his  word,  and  believe  it  ?"  Oh, 
I  hope  there  are  many  of  us — would  that  all  of  us  were 
in  that  vein  of  thought — who  can  say,  '^  It  is  even  so." 
Stand  back  Mr.  Atheist,  and  stop  us  not,  for  we  are  well 
persuaded  that  ours  is  no  wild-goose  chase.  Stand  back 
Sir  Ironical  Sceptic;  laugh  if  thou  wilt.  Thou  wilt 
laugh  on  the  other  side  of  thy  face  one  of  these  days, 
and  we  shall  have  the  laugh  of  thee  in  those  times.  At 
any  rate,  if  there  be  no  heaven  we  shall  be  as  well  off 
as  thou  wilt  be  ;  but,  if  there  be  a  hell,  where,  O  where, 
wilt  thou  be,  and  what  will  thy  portion  be  ?  So  we 
even  go  on  our  own  way  confident  and  sure,  nothing 


214:  Types  and  Emhlems. 

doubting ;  believing,  as  surely  as  we  believe  our  own 
existence,  that 

"Jesus,  the  Judge,  will  come 
To  take  his  people  up 
To  their  eternal  home  ; " 

and  believing  that  one  hour  with  him  will  be  worth  all 
the  trials  of  the  road :  worth  enduring  ten  thousand 
deaths,  if  we  could  endure  them,  in  order  to  win  it ; 
and  that,  moreover,  by  God's  grace  we  shall  win  it, 

"  We  shall  behold  his  face, 
We  shall  his  name  adore, 
And  sing  the  wonders  of  his  grace 
Henceforth  for  evermore.'' 

These  daughtei-s  of  Zelophehad,  then,  I  hold  up  to 
TOur  commendation  and  imitation  on  account  of  their 
faith. 

But  there  was  another  point.  Being  thus  sure  of 
the  land,  and  feeling  certain  about  that,  we  must  next 
commend  them  for  their  afixiety  to  possess  a  portion  in 
it.  Why  did  they  think  so  much  about  it  ?  I  heard 
some  one  say  the  other  day,  speaking  of  certain  young 
people,  *•  I  do  not  like  to  see  young  women  religious ; 
they  ought  to  be  full  of  fun  and  mirth,  and  not  have 
their  minds  filled  with  such  profound  thoughts.*' 
Xow,  I  will  be  bound  to  say  that  this  kind  of  philos- 
ophy was  accredited  in  the  camp  of  Israel,  and  that 
there  were  a  great  many  young  women  there  who  said, 
'*  Oh,  there  is  time  enough  to  think  about  the  good 
land  when  we  get  there ;  let  us  be  polishing  up  the 
mirrors ;  let  us  be  seeing  to  our  dresses ;  let  us  under- 
stand how  to  put  our  fingers  upon  the  timbrel  when 
the  time  comes  for  it ;  but  as  for  prosing  about  a  por- 
tion  among   those  Hivites  and  Hittites,  what  is  the 


Womefi's  Rights.— A  Paralle.  215 

good  of  it  ?  We  will  not  bother  ourselves  about  it."" 
But  such  was  the  strength  of  the  iaith  of  these  five 
women  that  it  led  them  to  feel  a  deep  anxiety  for  a 
share  in  the  inheritance.  They  were  not  such  simple- 
tons as  to  live  only  for  the  present.  They  had  out- 
grown their  babyhood ;  they  were  not  satisfied  to  live 
merely  for  the  day.  They  knew  that  they  would  soon 
cross  the  Jordan,  and  that  the  tribes  would  be  in  the 
land,  and  so  they  began,  as  it  were,  like  good  house- 
wives, to  think  about  their  portion  where  it  would  be, 
and  to  reflect  that  were  they  left  out  when  the  muster- 
roll  was  read,  and  should  no  portion  be  appointed  for 
Tirzah,  and  no  portion  for  Milcah,  and  no  place  for 
any  of  the  five  sisters,  they  would  be  like  beggars  and 
outcasts  in  the  midst  of  the  land.  The  thought  of  all 
others  having  their  plot  of  ground,  and  their  family 
having  none,  made  them  anxious  about  it.  Oh,  dear 
friends,  how  anxious  you  and  I  ought  to  be  to  make 
-  our  calling  and  election  sure,  and  how  solemnly  should 
that  verse  of  Wesley  come  home  to  our  hearts, 

"  But  can  I  bear  the  piercing  thought. 
What  if  my  name  should  be  left  out 
When  thou  for  them  shalt  ca,ll  !  " 

Suppose  I  should  have  no  portion  in  the  skies !  O  ye 
foundations  of  jasper,  ye  gates  of  pearl,  ye  walls  of 
chrysolite  and  all  manner  of  precious  stones,  must  I 
never  own  you  ?  O  troops  of  angels,  and  armies  of  the 
blood-bought,  must  /  never  wave  the  palm  or  wear 
the  crown  in  your  midst  ?  Must  the  word  that  salutes 
me  be  that  awful  sentence,  "  Depart,  ye  cursed,  into 
everlasting  fire  ?"  Is  there  no  place  for  me,  no  room 
for  me,  in  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  ?     I  do  beseech 


216  Types  and  Emhlems. 

you,  never  be  satisfied  till  you  can  answer  this  question 
in  the  affirmative,  and  say,  "  Yes,  I  have  a  place  in 
Jesu's  heart ;  I  have  been  washed  in  Jesu's  blood  ;  and 
therefore  I  shall  be  with  Jesus  where  he  is  in  his  glory 
when  the  fitting  time  cometh."  Oh,  I  would  have  you 
who  are  not  sure  about  this,  be  as  anxious  as  these 
women  were.  Let  it  press  upon  your  hearts  ;  let  it  even 
take  the  color  from  your  cheek,  sooner  than  that  you 
should  have  a  gayety  and  a  mirth  empty  and  frivolous, 
which  will  entice  you  down  to  the  pit.  Oh,  do  make 
sure  work  for  eternity  !  Whatever  else  you  trifle  with, 
do  seek  to  have  an  anchor  that  will  hold  you  fast  in 
the  last  great  storm.  Do  seek  to  be  affianced  unto 
Clirist,  and  grounded  and  bottomed  upon  his  founda- 
tion— the  Rock  of  Ages,  where  we  must  build  for 
eternity.  These  women  were  taken  up  with  prudent 
anxious  thoughts  about  their  own  part  in  the  land. 

And  let  me  say  that  they  were  right  in  desiring  to 
have  a  portion  there,  when  they  recollect  that  the  land 
had  been  covenanted  to  their  fathers.  They  might 
well  wish  to  have  a  part  in  a  thing  good  enough  to  be 
a  covenant-blessing.  The  land  had  been  promised  over 
and  over  again  by  divine  authority ;  they  might  well 
wish  to  have  a  share  in  that  which  God's  own  lips  had 
promised.  It  was  a  land  to  bring  them  into  which 
God  had  smitten  the  first-born  of  Egypt,  and  saved  his 
people  by  the  sprinkling  of  blood  ;  they  might  well 
desire  a  land  which  cost  so  great  a  price  to  bring  them 
to  it.  Besides,  it  was  a  goodly  land  ;  it  was  the  most 
princely  of  all  lands ;  peerless  among  all  the  territories 
of  earth.  Its  products  were  most  rich.  The  grapes  of 
Eshcol — what  could  equal  them?     Its  pomegranates, 


Women^s  Bights. — A  Parable.  217 

its  oil-olives,  its  rivers  that  flowed  with  milk  and  honey 
— there  was  nothing  like  it  in  all  the  world  besides ! 
They  might  well  say,  "  Let  us  have  a  portion  there  !  " 
And,  my  dear  hearers,  the  heaven  of  which  we  have  to 
tell  you  is  a  land  so  good  that  it  was  spoken  of  in  the 
covenant  before  the  world  was.  It  has  been  promised 
to  the  people  of  God  ten  thousand  times.  Jesus  Christ 
has  shed  his  precious  blood  that  he  might  open  the 
gates  of  it,  and  bring  us  in.  And  it  is  a  land — such  a 
land — that,  if  you  had  but  seen  it,  if  you  could  but 
know  what  it  is,  you  w^ould  pine  away  in  stopping 
here  ;  for  its  very  dust  is  gold,  its  meanest  joys  are 
richer  than  the  transports  of  earth,  and  the  poorest  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  he  who  is  the 
mightiest  prince  in  the  kingdom  of  this  world.  O  that 
your  mouths  were  set  a-longing  after  the  feasts  of  par- 
adise. O  that  ye  pined  to  be  where  Jesus  is ;  and 
then,  surely,  you  would  be  anxious  to  know  whether 
you  had  a  portion  there. 

I  hold  these  women  up  as  an  example,  because  they 
believed  in  the  unseen  inheritance,  and  they  were 
anxious  to  get  a  portion  in  it : — 

But  I  must  commend  them  yet  again  for  the  way  in 
which  they  set  about  the  business.  I  do  not  find  that 
they  went  complaining  from  tent  to  tent  that  they 
were  afraid  that  they  had  no  portion.  Many  doubters 
do  that;  they  tell  their  doubts  and  fears  to  others,  and 
they  get  no  further.  But  these  five  women  went 
straight  away  to  Moses.  He  was  at  their  head  ;  he  was 
their  mediator ;  and  then  it  is  said  that  '^  Moses  brought 
their  cause  before  the  Lord."  You  see,  these  women 
did  not  try  to  get  what  they  wanted  by  force.  They 
10 


218  Types  and  Emhlems. 

did  not  saj,  ''  Oh,  we  will  take  care  and  get  our  share 
when  we  get  there."  They  did  not  suppose  that  they 
had  any  merit  which  they  might  plead,  and  so  get  it ; 
but  they  went  straight  away  to  Moses,  and  Moses  took 
their  cause,  and  laid  it  before  the  Lord.  Dost  thou 
want  a  portion  in  heaven,  sinner  ?  Go  straight  away  to 
Jesus,  and  Jesus  will  take  thy  cause,  and  lay  it  before 
the  Lord.  It  is  a  very  sorry  one  as  it  stands  by  itself, 
but  he  has  such  a  sweet  way  of  so  mixing  himself  up  with 
thee  and  thyself  with  him,  that  his  cause  and  thy  cause 
will  be  one  cause,  and  the  Father  will  give  him  good 
success,  and  thee  good  success  too.  O  that  some  one 
here  could  breathe  the  prayer,  if  he  has  never  prayed 
before,  "  Saviour,  see  that  I  have  a  portion  in  the  skies. 
Precious  Saviour,  take  my  poor  heart,  and  wash  it  in 
thy  precious  blood,  and  change  it  by  thy  Holy  Spirit, 
and  make  me  ready  to  dwell  where  perfect  saints  are. 
O  do  thou  undertake  my  cause  for  me,  thou  blessed 
Advocate,  and  plead  it  before  thy  Father's  face."  That 
is  the  way  to  have  the  business  done.  Put  it  out  of 
your  own  hands  into  the  hands  of  the  prophet  like 
unto  Moses,  and  you  will  surely  speed. 

IS'ow,  observe  these  women's  success.  The  Lord  ac- 
cepted their  plea,  for  he  said  unto  Moses,  "  The  daugh- 
ters of  Zelophehad  speak  right."  Yes,  and  when  thou 
criest  to  him,  and  when  his  dear  Son  takes  thy  prayer 
to  him,  God  will  say,  "That  sinner  speaks  right." 
Beat  on  thy  breast,  and  say,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner  ; "  and  he  will  say,  "  That  soul  speaks  right." 
Young  women,  imitate  these  five  sisters  now.  May 
God  the  Holy  Spirit  bring  you  to  imitate  them  b}^ 
humbly    offering   your  plea  through    the   Meditator, 


Women^s  Bights. — A  Parable,  219 

Jesus  Christ,  and  God  will  say,  "  Ah  !  she  speaks  right ; 
I  have  heard  her ;  I  have  accepted  her."  And  then 
God  said  that  these  sisters  should  have  their  portion 
just  the  same  as  the  men  had  ;  that  they  should  have 
their  share  of  land  just  as  if  they  had  inherited  it  as  sons. 
And  so  will  God  say  to  every  seeking  sinner.  What- 
ever may  be  the  disability  under  which  you  labor, 
whatever  bar  there  may  have  seemed  to  be  to  your 
claim,  you  shall  inherit  it  among  the  children,  you  shall 
take  your  part  and  your  lot  among  the  chosen  of  God. 
Christ  has  set  your  cause  before  his  Father,  and  it  shall 
be  unto  you,  poor  sinner,  according  to  your  desire, 
and  you  shall  have  a  part  among  the  Lord's  people. 

I  wish  I  had  power  to  press  this  matter  more  imme- 
diately home  upon  you !  Many  of  us  who  are  now 
present  are  saved.  It  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  remem- 
ber how  large  a  proportion  of  my  congregation  have 
come  to  Christ ;  but,  oh !  there  are  many,  many  here 
who  are — well,  where  are  they  ?  They  do  not  know 
that  they  have  any  inheritance.  They  cannot  read 
their  title  clear  to  mansions  in  the  skies,  and,  what  is 
worse,  they  are  unconcerned  about  it.  If  they  were 
troubled  about  it,  we  would  have  hope ;  but  no,  they 
go  their  way,  and,  like  Pliable,  having  got  out  of  the 
Slough  of  Despond,  they  turn  round  and  say  to  Chris- 
tians, "  You  may  have  the  brave  country  all  to  your- 
selves for  me."  They  are  so  fond  of  present  pleasures, 
so  easily  enticed  by  the  wily  whispers  of  the  arch- 
enemy, so  soon  overcome  by  their  own  passions,  that 
they  find  it  too  hard  to  be  a  Christian ;  to  love  Christ 
is  a  thing  too  difficult  for  them.  'Ah  !  may  God  meet 
with  you,  and  make  you  wiser !     Poor  souls,  you  will 


220  Types  and  Emblems. 

perish,  some  of  you  will  perish  while  you  are  looking 
on  at  this  world's  bubbles  and  baubles  !  You  will  per- 
ish ;  you  will  go  down  to  hell  with  this  earth's  joys  in 
your  mouths,  and  they  will  not  sweeten  those  mouths 
when  the  pangs  of  hell  get  hold  upon  you  ?  Your  life  is 
short ;  your  candle  flickers  in  its  socket.  You  must 
soon  go  the  way  of  all  flesh.  We  never  meet  one  week 
after  another  without  some  death  occurring  between. 
Out  of  this  vast  number  surely  it  is  all  but  impossible 
that  we  could  all  ever  meet  again.  Perhaps  before  this 
day  week  some  of  us  will  have  passed  the  curtain,  have 
learned  the  great  secret,  and  have  looked  into  the  invis- 
ible world.  Whose  portion  will  it  be  ?  If  it  be  thine, 
dear  hearer,  wilt  thou  mount  to  worlds  of  joy,  or  shall — 

"  Devils  plunge  thee  down  to  liell 
In  infinite  despair  ?  " 

God  make  that  a  matter  of  concern  with  us  first,  and 
then  may  we  come  to  Jesus,  and  receive  the  sprinkling 
of  his  precious  blood  ;  and  thus  may  he  make  it  a  mat- 
ter of  confidence  with  us  that  we  are  saved  through 
him,  and  shall  be  partakers  with  them  that  are  sanctified! 

II.  With  a  view  of  giving  the  whole  incident  a  par- 
ticular DIRECTION 

Does  it  not  strike  you  that  there  is  \iqyq  2^  special  lesson 
for  our  unconverted  sisters  f  Here  are  five  daughters, 
I  suppose  young  women,  certainly  unmarried  women, 
and  these  five  were  unanimous  in  seeking  to  have  a 
portion  where  God  had  promised  it  to  his  people. 
Have  I  any  young  women  here  who  would  dissent 
from  that  ?  I  am  afraid  I  have !  Blessed  be  God,  for 
the  many  who  come  in  among  us — become  solemnly 
impressed,  and  give  their  young  days  to  Jesus;  but 


Women^s  Bights. — A  Parable.  221 

there  are  some  —there  may  be  some  here  of  another 
mind.  The  temptations  of  this  wicked  Metropolis, 
the  pleasures  of  this  perilous  city,  lead  them  away 
from  their  profession,  and  prevent  their  giving  a  fair 
hearing  to  Qod's  "Word.  Well,  but  you  are  here,  and 
may  1,  as  a  brother,  put  this  question  to  you  ?  Do  you 
r»ot  desire  a  portion  in  the  skies  ?  Have  you  no  wish  for 
glory  ?  Have  you  no  longing  for  the  everlasting  crown  ? 
Can  you  sell  Christ  for  a  few  hours  of  mirth  ?  Will 
you  give  him  up  for  a  giddy  song  or  an  idle  companion  ? 
Those  are  not  your  friends  who  would  lead  you  from 
the  paths  of  righteousness.  Count  them  not  dear,  but 
loathe  them,  if  they  would  entice  you  from  Christ ! 
But,  as  you  will  certainly  die,  and  will  as  certainly  live 
for  ever  in  endless  woe  or  in  boundless  bliss,  do  see  to 
your  souls.  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness,  and  all  other  things  shall  be  added  to 
you."  You  have  come  fresh  from  the  country,  young 
woman,  and,  leaving  your  mother's  care,  it  is  very 
likely  that  you  have  begun  to  absent  yourself  from  the 
means  of  grace,  but  I  charge  you  not  to  do  so.  On  the 
contrary,  let  this  bind  you  to  your  mother's  God,  and 
may  you  feel  that,  whereas  you  might  have  neglected 
God's  house  hitherto  and  profaned  God's  day,  yet 
henceforth,  like  the  daughters  of  Zelophehad,  you  seek 
to  have  a  portion  in  the  promised  land. 

The  subject  bears  another  way.  Has  it  not  a  voice, 
and  a  loud  voice  toOy  to  the  children  of  godly  jparents  ? 
I  like  these  young  women  saying  that  their  father  did 
not  die  with  Korah,  but  that  he  only  died  the  ordinary 
death  which  fell  upon  others  because  of  the  sin  of  the 
wilderness ;  and  also,  their  saying,  "  Why  should  the 


222  Types  and  E/iiblems. 

name  of  our  father  be  done  away  from  among  his  family 
because  he  had  no  son  ?  "  It  is  a  good  thing  to  see  this 
respect  to  parents,  this  desire  to  keep  up  the  honor  of 
the  family.  I  was  thinking  whether  there  may  not  be 
some  here,  some  children  of  godly  parents,  who  would 
feel  it  a  sad  thing  if  they  should  bring  a  disgrace  upon 
the  family  name.  Is  it  so,  that  though  your  father  has 
been  for  many  years  a  Christian,  he  has  not  one  to 
succeed  him  'i  O  young  man,  have  you  no  ambition 
to  stand  in  his  place,  no  wish  to  let  his  name  be  per- 
petuated in  the  Church  of  God  ?  Well,  if  the  sons  have 
no  such  ambition,  or  if  there  be  none,  let  the  daughters 
say  to  one  another,  "  Our  father  never  disgraced  his 
profession,  he  did  not  die  in  the  company  of  them  that 
gathered  themselves  together  against  the  Lord,  but 
he  served  the  Lord  faithfully,  and  we  will  not  let  his 
name  be  blotted  out  from  Israel ;  we  will  join  ourselves 
to  the  people  of  God,  and  the  family  shall  be  represented 
still."  But,  oh  !  how  I  desire  that  the  brothers  and 
sisters  would  come  together,  and  what  a  delightful  thing 
it  would  be  to  see  the  whole  family  !  In  that  house- 
hold there  were  only  five  girls,  but  they  all  had  their 
heritage.  O  father,  would  jo\x  not  be  happy  if  it 
should  be  so  with  your  children  ?  Mother,  would  not 
you  be  ready  to  say,  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  according  to  thy  word,  for 
mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation,"  if  you  could  see  all 
your  children  brought  in  ?  And  why  not,  my  brethren, 
why  not  ?  We  will  give  God  no  rest  until  it  is  so  ; 
we  will  plead  with  him  until  they  are  all  saved.  And, 
young  people,  why  not  ?  The  Lord's  mercy  is  not 
straitened.  The  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob, 


Wmnen^s  liights. — A  Parahle,  223 

and  your  father's  God,  we  trust,  will  be  your  God.  O 
that  you  would  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  your  parents 
60  far  as  they  followed  Christ !  These  daughters  of 
Zelophehad  seem  to  me  to  turn  preachers,  and  I  stand 
here  to  speak  for  them,  and  all  five  of  them  say  to  you, 
*'  We  gained  our  inheritance  by  seeking  for  it  through 
a  Mediator."  Young  women,  brothers  and  sisters,  you 
shall  gain  it,  too,  by  seeking  it  through  a  Saviour. 

And  does  not  this  text  also  speak  to  another  class, 
to  orphans  ?  These  good  girls  had  lost  their  parents, 
or  otherwise  the  question  would  not  have  arisen. 
Father  and  mother  had  gone,  had  passed  away,  and 
therefore  they  had  to  go  to  Moses  for  themselves. 
When  the  parents  could  not  come  to  Moses  for  them, 
they  came  for  themselves.  Think  of  the  skies  a  mo- 
ment, some  of  you.  Perhaps  you  were  this  morning 
in  a  very  different  place,  but  think  of  the  skies  a 
minute.  No,  I  do  not  mean  the  meteoric  stones;  I 
do  not  mean  the  stars,  nor  yon  bright  moon ;  but  I 
want  you  to  think  of  your  mother,  who  is  yonder.  Do 
you  remember  when  she  gave  you  the  last  kiss,  and  bade 
you  farewell,  and  said,  ''  Follow  me,  my  children,  follow 
me  to  the  skies  ?  "  Think  of  a  father  who  is  there,  his 
voice,  doubtless,  helping  to  swell  the  everlasting  halle- 
lujah. Does  he  not  beckon  you  from  the  battlements 
of  heaven,  and  cry,  "  Children  of  my  loins,  follow  me  as 
I  followed  Christ  ? "  Some  of  us  have  an  honored  grand- 
sire  there,  an  honored  grandmother  there.  Many  of 
you  have  got  infants  there,  young  angels  whom  God 
lent  you  for  a  little  time,  and  then  took  them  to 
heaven  to  show  ^qvl  the  way,  to  lure  you  to  go  upwards 
too.     You  have  all  some  dear  friends  there  with  whom 


224  Types  and  Emblems, 

3^ou  walked  to  God's  house  in  company.  Thej  have 
gone,  but  I  charge  you,  by  the  living  God,  to  follow 
them.  Break  not  your  households  in  twain.  Let  no 
solemn  rifts  and  rents  come  into  the  family,  but,  as  they 
have  gone  to  their  rest,  God  grant  unto  you  by  the  same 
road  to  come  and  rest  eternally  too.  Jesus  Christ  is 
ready  to  receive  sinners ;  he  is  ready  to  receive  you, 
and  if  you  trust  him,  the  joy  and  bliss  which  now  your 
friends  partake  of  shall  be  yours  also.  Daughters  of 
godly  parents,  children  of  those  who  have  gone  before 
to  eternal  glory,  I  entreat  you  to  look  to  Jesus;  go  and 
present  your  suit  to  him  now.  It  shall  surely  prosper. 
If  the  question  was  once  doubtful,  it  has  now  become 
"  a  statute  of  judgment."  The  Lord  has  commanded  it. 
May  God  bless  these  counsels  and  exhortations  to  yon 
for  Christ's  sake.     Amen. 


^kd  Ckbs  m)i  fright  gbsings. 


"  If  the  clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  themselves  upon  the 
earth."— EccLES.  xi.  3. 


T  was  raining  very  heavily  when  I  was  thinking 
over  this  text.  The  sharp  crack  of  the  thun- 
der, and  the  quick  flash  of  the  lightning, 
seemed  to  be  constant  just  where  I  sat.  When 
I  came  here  I  found  that  you  had  not  had  a 
drop  of  rain,  and  the  weather  still  continues  hot  and 
feverish.  This  seemed  to  me  like  an  example  and  an 
illustration  of  the  sovereignty  of  God's  dispensations. 
True  is  it  in  the  spiritual  as  well  as  in  the  natural 
economy,  that  one  place  is  rained  upon,  and  another 
is  not  rained  upon.  In  one  part  of  the  church  God's 
grace  descends  in  a  flood,  while  another  part  remains 
as  dry  and  arid  as  the  wilderness  itself.  Even  under  the 
same  ministrations  one  Christian's  soul  may  be  refreshed 
till  it  becomes  like  a  watered  garden,  while  another 
may  remain  parched  as  the  desert.  He  hath  the  key 
of  the  rain,  and  it  is  for  us  to  ask  him  to  give  us  of  the 
dew  and  the  rain  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  Let  us  walk 
humbly  with  him,  lest  he  should  say  of  us,  as  he  did  to 
10* 


226  Types  and  Emblems, 

his  Jewish  vineyard  of  old,  "Also  I  will  command  tho 
clouds  that  they  rain  no  rain  upon  it."  We  may  stand 
up  and  look  to  the  Most  High,  and  learn  our  depend- 
ence upon  him  for  spiritual  blessings,  just  as  the  farmer, 
knowing  his  dependence  for  his  harvest  upon  God, 
watches  the  sky  and  the  clouds,  for  without  the  rain 
what  can  he  do  ? 

But,  now,  to  come  to  the  text  itself:  I  purpose  a 
meditation  upon  three  of  its  practical  uses.  First,  as 
suggesting  a  coinfortfoi'  the  timid  j  secondly,  as  giving 
an  argument  to  the  douhting;  and  thirdly,  as  furnish- 
ing a  lesson  for  the  Christian. 

I.  First,  I  think  we  may  fairly  use  the  text  as  a  com- 
fort FOR  THE  TIMm. 

The  clouds  are  black,  they  lower  ;  they  shut  out  the 
sun-light ;  they  obscure  the  landscape.  The  timid  one 
looks  up  and  says,  "  Alas  !  how  black  they  are,  and  how 
they  gather  fold  on  fold  !  What  a  dark,  gloomy  day  !" 
What  makes  them  black  ?  It  is  because  they  are  full, 
and  hence  light  cannot  pierce  them.  And  if  they  be 
full,  what  then  ?  Why,  then  it  will  rain,  and  then  the 
hot  earth  will  be  refreshed,  and  every  little  plant,  and 
every  tiny  leaf  and  rootlet  of  that  plant  will  suck  up 
moisture,  and  begin  to  laugh  for  joy.  Out  of  the 
black  sky  comes  the  bright  daisy,  and  the  garden  is 
painted  with  many  colors,  and  the  only  palette  that  is 
used,  is,  after  all,  that  black  one,  for  the  sky  doth  it 
by  its  rain. 

Now,  Christian,  you  too,  are  of  a  timid  disposition, 
and  every  now  and  then  your  circumstances  are  not 
as  you  would  like  to  arrange  them.  Losses  come  very 
closely  upon  one  another.     Friend  after  friend  forsakes 


Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings.        227 

yoii.  Sickness  treads  upon  the  heel  of  sickness.  All 
things  are  against  you,  as  against  Jacob  of  old.  The 
clouds  are  very  black,  but  may  they  not  be  black  for 
the  very  same  reason  as  the  clouds  above  you — because 
they  are  full  ?  And  is  it  not  very  possible  that  it  will 
be  with  you  as  it  has  been  often  with  God's  saints,  ac- 
cording to  the  hymn  we  sang  just  now — 

"  Ye  fearful  saints,  fresh  courage  take  : 
The  clouds  ye  so  much  dread 
Are  big  [aye,  black]  with  mercy,  and  shall  break 
In  blessings  on  your  head." 

If  the  clouds  were  not  black,  you  might  not  expect 
rain.  If  your  afflictions  were  not  grievous,  they  would 
not  be  profitable.  If  your  adversities  did  not  pain  and 
trouble  you,  they  would  not  be  blessed  to  you.  We 
have  heard  some  people  say— "If  this  trouble  had 
come  in  such  and  such  a  shape,  I  would  not  have 
minded  it."  But  God  meant  you  to  mind  it,  for  it  wiis 
in  your  minding  it  that  it  was  blessed  to  you.  -^  By 
the  blueness  of  the  wound,"  saith  Solomon,  "  the  hurt 
is  made  better."  When  the  stroke  causes  black  and 
blue,  when  really  the  spirit  is  thoroughly  wounded, 
then  the  blessing  comes.  It  is  not  merely  said  in  the 
Scriptures  that  there  is  a  needs-be  for  affliction.  That 
is  a  great  truth,  but  it  is  added  then  that  there  is  a 
needs-be  that  the  affliction  should  lower  our  spirit. 
Listen  to  the  words — "Kow  for  a  season,  if  needs-be 
ye  are  in  heaviness  through  manifold  temptations." 
The  needs-be  is  not  for  the  temptation  merely,  but  that 
ye  be  in  heaviness  feeling  the  temptation — not  for  the 
iron  only,  but  for  the  iron  entering  into  your  soul.  If 
the  child  liked  the  rod,  it  would  be  no  chastisement;  and 


228  Types  and  Einblems. 

if  the  Christian  loved  his  affliction  while  he  was  in  it, 
and  it  seemed  joyous  to  him,  then  it  were  no  affliction  ; 
but  it  is  the  very  sharpness  of  it,  the  vinegar  and  the 
gall,  that  is  the  medicine  that  produces  the  good  effect. 
The  blackness  of  the  cloud  proves  its  fulness,  and  its 
fulness  brings  the  shower.  I  suppose  we  know  this 
experimentally.  As  a  church,  we  can  look  back  upon 
mercies  which  God  lias  given  us  in  a  very  extraordinary 
manner.  God  intended  that  this  house  should  be  full 
of  hearers  every  Sabbath-day  for  years.  It  is  a  very 
remarkable  circumstance,  and  one  that  alwa^^s  aston- 
ishes  me  more,  perhaps,  than  it  does  any  of  you,  when 
I  see  the  aisles  and  every  place  crowded  Sabbath  after 
Sabbath.  But,  how  much  of  the  success  with  which 
God  has  crowned  our  ministry,  has  been  due  to  the 
most  afflicting  providence  that  ever  befell  a  Christian 
minister  or  a  Christian  church  ?  Was  it  not,  dear 
friends — to  allude  to  that  sad  event  which  is  still  upon 
the  minds  of  some  of  us,  and  will  be  till  we  die,  when 
the  cry  was  raised,  and  death  came  into  the  midst  of 
our  solemn  assembly — was  it  not  due  to  that,  to  a  very 
great  extent,  that  the  preacher  became  known,  and  that 
60  he  has  had  an  opportunity  of  speaking  to  many 
more  souls  than  otherwise  would  have  listened  to  him, 
concerning  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  1  You 
will  have  found  it  so,  I  think,  in  your  own  private 
estate.  A  big  wave  has  washed  you  on  to  a  safe  rock. 
A  black  life-boat  has  taken  you  out  of  a  gay  and  bright, 
but  leaky  vessel,  and  brought  you  to  your  desired 
haven.  You  have  been  unburdened.  If  you  have  lost 
your  riches,  you  have  been  better  without  them  than 
with  them.     Your  losses  have,  in  the  end,  come  to  be 


t/ 


Black  Clouds  cmd  Bright  Blessings,        229 

practical  gains.  The  good  ship  has  gone  across  the 
waters  more  swiftly,  when  some  of  that  which  was  but 
needless  ballast,  has  been  heaved  overboard.  Can  you 
not  affirm  of  your  spiritual  experience — certainly  I  can 
of  my  own — that  the  pelting  showers  and  fiercer 
storms  have  been  most  soul-enriching?  It  is  when 
one  labors  under  a  deep  sense  of  sin ;  when  perhaps 
one's  hope  is  jostled  to  and  fro  like  a  reed  shaken  by 
the  wind  ;  when  the  spirit  sinks  and  the  soul  is  brought 
very  low ;  that  we  learn  to  study  the  promises,  find  out 
their  value,  prove  their  faithfulness,  and  come  to  un- 
derstand more  than  ever  of  the  grace  and  goodness  of 
a  covenant-keeping  God.  ''  Before  I  was  afflicted  I 
went  astray,  but  now  have  I  kept  thy  word  ; "  this  is 
only  another  way  of  putting  the  same  truth.  The 
clouds  were  full  of  rain,  but  they  emptied  themselves 
upon  the  man  who  needed  grace  from  on  high. 

Now,  brethren  and  sisters,  what  has  been  true  in  the 
past,  depend  upon  it,  is  true  in  the  present.  I  do  not 
know — how  can  I  tell — what  is  your  particular  trouble ; 
but  you  may  well  believe  that  he  who  appointed  it,  he 
who  measured  it,  he  who  has  set  its  bounds,  will  bring 
you  to  the  end  of  it,  and  prove  his  gracious  design  in  it 
all.  Do  not  think  that  God  deals  roughly  with  his  chil- 
dren, and  gives  them  needless  pain.  It  grieves  him  to 
grieve  you.  "  He  doth  not  afflict  willingly,  nor  grieve  ^ 
the  children  of  men."  It  is  easy  to  have  a  faith  that  acts 
backwards,  but  faith  that  will  act  forwards  from  the 
point  of  your  present  emergency,  is  the  true  faith  that 
you  want  now.  Ilath  God  helped  you  out  of  one  trouble 
after  another,  and  is  it  to  be  supposed  that  he  will  leave 
you  in  this  ?     In  six  troubles  he  will  be  with  you  ;  yea, 


230  Types  and  EmUems. 

in  seven  there  shall  be  no  evil  touch  you.  The  particu- 
lar water  in  which  you  now  are  struggling  is  intended 
and  included  in  the  promise,  "  When  thou  goest  through 
the  rivers  I  will  be  with  thee,  and  through  the  floods, 
they  shall  not  overflow  thee."  It  is,  I  must  confess, 
difticult  sometimes  to  bring  the  promise  down  to  the 
particular  case,  for  unbelief  fights  hard  against  it ;  but 
remember,  unless  the  promise  be  applied  to  the  par- 
ticular case,  it  is  like  the  liniment  which  is  not  applied 
to  the  wound,  or  like  the  medicine  that  is  not  received 
by  the  patient.  The  medicine  not  received  may  be  very 
potent,  but  the  man  cannot  know  its  value;  and  the 
promise  may  be  very  sweet  and  precious,  but  it  cannot 
comfort  you  unless  it  be  applied.  Do  ask,  then,  for 
grace  that  you  may  believe  while  you  are  still  under 
the  cloud,  black  as  it  looks,  that  it  will  empty  itself  in 
blessed  rain  upon  you. 

So  will  it  he  on  the  largest  possible  scale  in  the  whole 
Church  of  Christ.  There  are  many  clouds  surrounding 
the  church  of  God  just  now,  and  I  must  confess,  that 
with  all  the  religious  activity  there  is  abroad,  there  is 
very  much  to  cause  us  great  sorrow.  The  friends  of 
evangelical  opinions  are  few  compared  with  the  advocates 
of  Broad  Churchism  and  Romanism.  The  strength 
seems  to  be  meanwhile  on  the  wrong  side,  and  the  devil 
hath  stirred  up  a  fierce  tempest,  by  reason  of  which 
some  are  alarmed.  But  we  must  not  yield  to  fear.  The 
Master  knows.  He  understands  that  it  is  right  for  his 
soldiers  to  be  sometimes  rebuffed  at  Ai,  though  they 
have  won  Jericho,  that  afterwards  they  may  search  and 
find  out  the  accursed  thing,  and  stone  the  Achan  that 
has  brought  upon  them  defeat.     He  will  be  with  us 


Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings.        231 

yet,  and  the  time  shall  come  when  we  shall  see  that 
every  cloud  that  was  full  of  rain  has  emptied  itself 
upon  the  earth. 

II.  Our  second   point   is   an   argument  with  the 

DOUBTING   AND   THE   DESPONDING. 

It  is  a  law  of  nature  that  a  full  thing  begins  to  empty 
itself.  When  the  cloud  gets  full,  it  no  longer  has  the 
power  of  retaining  its  fluid  contents,  but  it  pours  them 
down  upon  the  earth.  When  the  river  gets  swollen, 
does  it  not  rush  with  greater  impetuosity  towards  the 
deep  ?  And  the  ocean  itself  is  continually  emptying 
itself  into  the  ocean  that  is  above  the  firmament,  that 
same  ocean  above  the  firmament  emptying  itself  again, 
according  to  the  text,  upon  the  earth.  As  there  is  a 
circulation  in  the  body,  and  every  pumping  of  blood 
into  the  heart  is  accompanied  by  another  pumping  of 
it  out  again,  so  there  is  a  circulation  in  this  great 
world ;  everything  revolving,  and  the  whole  machine 
kept  in  order,  not  by  hoarding,  but  by  spending ;  not 
by  retaining,  but  by  consecutively  getting  and  giving. 

Well  now,  dear  friends,  you  may  gather  that  when 
the  cloud  is  full  it  is  going  to  rain.  I  want  you  to  draw 
an  argument  from  this.  Our  gracious  God  never  mahes 
a  store  of  any  good  thing ^  hut  he  intends  to  give  it  to  us. 
Just  think  for  a  moment  of  God,  our  gracious  Father. 
He  is  love.  His  name  is  love.  His  nature  is  love. 
Love  is  God.  "  God  is  love."  He  is  all  goodness.  He 
is  a  bottomless,  shoreless  sea,  brimful  of  goodness.  He 
is  full  of  pardoning  goodness  to  forgive  sin.  He  is 
full  of  accepting  favor  to  receive  poor  prodigals  to 
his  bosom.  He  is  full  of  faithful  goodness  to  watch 
over  his  dear  children ;  full  of  bounteous  goodness  to 


1/ 


232  Types  and  Eniblems. 

bestow  upon  them  all  that  they  want.  Kow,  if  there 
be  such  a  plenitude  of  goodness  in  the  Father,  it  must 
be  for  some  object — not  for  himself.  Why  should  it  be 
given  to  himself  ?  It  must  be  there  for  his  creatures. 
Is  it  not  written  that  he  delighteth  in  mercy  ?  We 
know  that  he  maketh  the  sun  to  shine  upon  the  evil  as 
well  as  upon  the  just.  Then  I,  even  though  I  be  evil, 
will  hope  that  this  store  of  goodness  in  the  heart  of  the 
everlasting  Father  is  intended,  some  of  it,  at  any  rate, 
to  be  poured  out  upon  me,  poor  unworthy  me.  "  If 
the  clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  themselves  upon 
the  earth,"  and  if  God  be  full  of  goodness,  it  is  that  he 
may  spend  that  goodness  upon  the  sons  of  men.  But 
whither  come  those  bright  and  sparkling  drops,  flashing 
like  diamonds  in  the  sunlight,  turning  to  manj^  colors, 
and  forming  the  wondrous  iris?  Whither  come  ye, 
whither  come  ye,  O  ye  bright  and  heaven-born  drops 
of  matchless  rain,  all  pure  and  free  from  every  stain  ; 
whither  come  ye  ?  "  We  are  come  down  to  the  black, 
hard,  dusty  earth  ;  we  are  going  to  fall  upon  the  desert 
or  upon  the  sea  ;  we  descend  on  fields  that  ask  not  for 
us  ;  we  descend  upon  the  soil  that  is  chapped  and  needs 
us,  but  has  not  a  tongue  to  speak  for  us,  nor  a  heart  to 
feel  its  need.  We  come  down  from  our  element  in 
heaven  to  tabernacle  among  men,  and  to  do  them  good." 
And  so  it  is  with  the  goodness  of  our  blessed  Father. 
If  it  be  in  him,  it  is  there  for  the  earth,  for  those  who 
need  it ;  for  those  who  do  not  even  feel  their  need,  and 
whose  need  is,  therefore,  all  the  deeper ;  who  cannot 
feel  their  need,  and,  therefore,  have  a  need  that  is  deep- 
est of  all  needs.  Oh  !  blessed  goodness,  that  delights 
to  spend  itself  upon  the  unworthiest  of  men  ! 


Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings,       233 

Ah,  troubled,  doubting  soul !  think  again  ;  let  me 
ask  yon  this  time  to  muse  a  little  upon  Jesus  Christ  the 
Son  of  the  Father.  Beloved,  it  is  a  part  of  onr  belief 
that "  it  pleased  the  Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness  J 
dwell."  We  believe  that  in  the  atoning  sacrifice  there 
is  a  fulness  of  satisfaction  made  to  divine  justice  ;  that 
there  is  a  fulness  of  cleansing  power  in  the  precious 
blood  ;  that  there  is  a  fulness  of  righteousness  in  Christ's 
holy  life ;  afulness  of  vivifying  power  in  his  resurrec- 
tion ;  a  fulness  of  prevalence  in  his  plea ;  and  a  fulness 
of  representation  in  his  standing  before  the  eternal 
throne  to  take  possession  of  heaven  for  us.  ISTo  one 
here,  I  think,  looks  upon  Christ  as  a  well  without 
water,  or  as  a  cloud  without  rain.  Now,  dear  heart, 
if  thou  believest  Christ  to  be  a  cloud  that  is  full  of 
rain,  for  what  reason  is  he  full  %  Why,  that  he  may 
empty  himself  upon  the  earth.  There  was  no  need 
that  he  should  be  a  man  full  of  sympathy  except  to 
sympathize  with  mourning  men  and  women.  There 
was  no  need  that  he  should  bleed  except  that  he  might 
bleed  for  you.  There  was  no  necessity  that  he  should 
die  except  that  the  power  of  his  death  might  deliver 
you  from  death.  There  was  no  need  whatever  that  he 
should  be  a  servant  unless  that  his  obedience  might 
justify  many.  The  fulness  of  his  essential  Godhead 
may  be  supposed  to  be  there  for  himself,  but  the  ful- 
ness of  his  mediatorial  character  is  a  mere  waste,  unless 
it  is  there  for  you.  A  man  looking  at  the  coal-mines 
of  England,  naturally  considers  that  God  made  that 
coal  with  the  intention  of  supplying  the  world's  inhabi- 
tants with  fuel,  and  that  he  stored  it,  as  it  were,  away 
in  those   dark   cellars   underground  for  this  favored 


234  Types  and  Emhlems. 

nation,  that  the  wheels  of  its  commerce  might  be  set 
in  motion.  AVell,  now,  if  I  go  to  those  everlasting 
mines  of  divine  faithfulness  and  of  atoning  efficacy, 
which  are  laid  up  in  the  veins  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  must 
conceive  that  there  is  a  supply  laid  up  for  those  who 
will  require  it ;  and  so  there  is.  Doubt  it  not ;  there 
is  cleansing  for  the  guilty,  there  is  life  for  the  dead, 
there  is  healing  for  the  sick.  If  Jesus  be  full  of  power 
to  save,  he  will  save  you.  If  you  cry  unto  him,  he 
will  empty  himself  upon  you. 

To  proceed  yet  further,  I  would  ask  the  doubter  to 
look  at  the  infinite  fulness  of  power  which  is  treasured 
up  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  a  part  of  our  conviction 
that  there  is  no  heart  so  hard  that  the  Holy  Spirit  can- 
not soften  it ;  no  soul  so  dead  that  he  cannot  quicken 
it ;  and  no  man  so  desperately  set  on  mischief  that  his 
will  cannot  be  subdued  by  the  effectual  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  working  in  him.  We  believe  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  be  no  mere  influence,  no  inferior  or  secondary 
power  of  moral  suasion,  but  to  be  absolutely  divine — 
a  divine  Being  exerting  irresistible  force  upon  the 
mental  powers  of  man.  Well,  now,  if  there  be  this 
might,  surely  when  he  appears  in  the  character  of  a 
comforter  and  a  quickener,  his  might  is  there  to  be 
exerted.  Is  thy  lieart  hard  ?  He  will  empty  his  soft- 
ening influence  upon  it.  Is  it  dead  ?  His  quickening 
power  shall  there  find  a  congenial  sphere.  Art  thou 
dark  ?  Then  there  is  room  for  his  light.  Art  thou 
sick  ?  Then  is  there  a  province  for  his  healing  energy. 
"  If  the  clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empt}^  themselves 
upon  the  earth  ;"  and,  if  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God 
be  full  of  might  and  energy,  it  is  that  he  may  mani- 


Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings.        235 

fest  it  all  in  these  poor,  needy  souls  who  desire  to  feel 
its  power. 

What  a  wondrous  hooh  this  Bible  of  ours  is.  "When 
you  have  read  this  Bible  through  a  score  of  times,  you 
may  have  only  strolled  over  the  surface,  looked  at  the 
land,  or  ploughed  at  most  the  upper  soil.  If  you  take 
one  passage,  and  dig  deep  for  the  treasure  that  coucheth 
beneath,  you  will  find  it  inexhaustible.  The  Book  has 
in  it  a  matchless  fulness.  It  were  as  possible  to  meas- 
ure space,  or  to  grasp  the  infinite  in  the  hollow  of  your 
hands,  as  to  investigate  the  entire  compass  of  Holy 
Scripture.  It  is  high  ;  I  cannot  attain  unto  it.  It  is 
broad ;  I  cannot  reach  its  boundary.  But  oh,  what  an 
abundance  of  provisions,  and  what  a  fulness  of  comfort 
there  are  stored  up  in  the  promises  of  God's  Word. 

"  What  more  can  he  say  than  to  you  he  hath  said  ; 
You  who  unto  Jesus  for  refuge  have  fled." 

Now,  what  is  this  fulness  in  the  Bible  for  ?  "  If  the 
clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  themselves  upon  the 
earth."  If  the  Scriptures  be  full  of  comfort,  they  are 
intended  to  be  enjoyed,  to  be  believed,  to  be  fed  upon 
by  you.  There  is  nothing  to  spare  in  this  book.  There 
is  not  too  little,  but  rest  assured,  there  is  nothing  too 
much.  He  that  goeth  out  in  the  morning  after  this 
manna,  though  he  gathereth  his  omer  full,  he  shall 
have  nothing  over,  and  if  he  gathereth  little,  yet  still 
he  shall  have  no  lack.  There  is  enough  for  all,  and 
all  its  fulness  is  meant  to  be  used.  I  cannot  amplify 
on  this  thought.  I  have  not  time  to  beat  it  out  more, 
but  I  hope  and  pray  it  may  be  useful  to  some  of  you. 
You  do  not  trust  God,  many  of  you,  as  you  ought  to 
do.    You  measure  his   corn  with  your   own  bushel. 


230  Types  and  Emblems. 

You  know  that  you  would  foil  your  fellow-men  and 
you  think  that  he  will  fail  you.  You  know  your  own 
weakness  and  infirmity,  and  you  imagine  that  he  will 
be  faint  or  weary.  You  know  that  you  could  not  act 
very  generously  towards  some  who  have  been  ungrate- 
ful and  unkind  to  you,  and  you  think  he  cannot.  Re- 
member the  passage — "My  thoughts  are  not  your 
thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways  my  ways,  saith  the 
Lord.  For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth, 
so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  my  thoughts 
than  your  thoughts."  You  think  about  saving ;  he 
only  thinks  about  giving.  You  take  a  delight  in  get- 
ting ;  he  takes  his  delight  in  bestowing.  Go  to  him ! 
go  to  him !  You  would  not  need  anybody  to  be  long 
praying  you  to  accept.  Do  not  think  that  God  needs 
much  beseeching  in  order  to  give,  for  it  is  as  easy  for 
him  to  give  as  it  is  for  you  to  accept ;  and,  as  accepting 
seems  congenial  to  our  nature,  so  does  bestowing  seem 
congenial  to  his.  Go  to  him,  and  he  will  empty  out 
his  grace  upon  you  ! 

III.  The  text  furnishes  a  lesson  to  Christians. 

"  If  the  clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  themselves 
upon  the  earth."  The  drift  of  the  passage  is,  of  course, 
to  be  gathered  from  the  connection,  and  it  was  intended 
by  Solomon  to  teach  us  liberality.  He  says — "  Give  a 
portion  to  seven,  and  also  to  eight ;  for  thou  knowest 
not  what  evil  shall  be  upon  the  earth.  If  the  clouds 
be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  themselves  upon  the  earth." 
By  which  he  means  to  say — "  If  your  pocket  is  full, 
empty  it  out  upon  the  poor  and  needy  ;  and  if  God  has 
endowed  you  with  much  of  this  world's  substance,  look 
out  for  cases  of  necessity,  and  consider  it  as  much  the 


Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings.        237 

object  of  your  existence  to  bestow  help  upon  the  needy, 
as  it  is  the  design  in  the  creation  ^of  a  cloud  that  it 
should  empty  itself  upon  the  earth." 

Do  the  clouds  ever  lose  by  emptying  themselves? 
No  doubt  when  the  cloud  has  emptied  itself  out  it  is 
renewed,  and  still  goeth  on  its  course.  At  any  rate, 
however  it  may  be  with  the  cloud,  if  it  be  dissipated 
when  the  rain  descends,  it  is  not  so  with  the  Christian  ■ 
man.  God  hath  a  way  of  giving  by  cart-loads  to  those 
who  give  away  by  shovel-fulls.  If  we  give  at  the  back- 
door—and I  do  not  think  we  ought  to  give  at  any  other 
door— he  will  be  pretty  sure  to  give  in  greater  abun- 
dance at  the  window,  and  at  the  front  door  likewise. 
Says  Bunyan  :— 

"  There  was  a  man,  and  some  did  count  him  mad, 
The  more  he  gave  away  the  more  he  had." 

Thank  God  for  men  of  that  sort.  "  There  is  that  with-  y 
holdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but  ittendeth  to  poverty  ;" 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  that  sentence  which  hath  in  it 
the  nature  of  a  proverb  and  a  prophecy  is  often  verified ; 
"  the  liberal  soon  shall  be  made  fat."  I  need  not  say  , 
much  upon  this  to  the  members  of  my  own  congregation, 
with  whom  I  am  acquainted.  Most  of  you,  I  believe, 
do  empty  yourselves  upon  the  earth  in  proportion  as 
God  assists  you,  and  enables  you  to  give  ;  but  there  are 
many  persons  in  this  land— I  hope  their  number  is  on 
the  decrease— worth  thousands  upon  thousands  a  year, 
whose  contributions  to  the  cause  of  God  are  so  utterly 
insignificant,  that  it  is  difficult  to  suppose  that  the  love 
of  Christ  has  ever  gone  far  enough  into  them  to  thaw 
their  hearts,  for  it  has  not  even  penetrated  their  pockets, 
making  the  gold  to  melt,  and  their  riches  to  flow  in 


238  Types  and  Emblems. 

liberality.  I  was  spoken  to  by  a  brother  minister  not 
long  ago,  when  I  was  preaching  for  him,  and  he  said — 
"  Do  not  spare  them,  sir  ;  do  not  spare  them ;  there  is 
one  pew  there  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  where  three  men 
sit  who  are  worth  a  million  of  money  between  them  ; 
our  chapel  is  a  thousand  pounds  in  debt,  and  yet  three 
of  our  members  have  a  million  between  them."  I 
said  to  him,  "  I  think  you  ought  not  to  '  spare  them  ' 
yourself;  I  do  not  know  why  I  should  say  it,  only 
coming  here  to  preach  occasionally."  "  Well,"  said 
he,  "  but  you  can  say,  perhaps,  what  nobody  else  may." 
Really,  it  is  a  most  horrible  thing  that  there  should  be 
such  positive  cov^etousness  allied  with  a  profession  of 
Christianity.  Christian  men — shall  I  call  them  so  ? — 
who,  after  all  the  plain  precepts  of  Scripture,  practise 
idolatry.  They  talk  of  being  "  stewards,"  but  they 
act  practically  as  if  they  were  the  owners.  When  a 
man  once  gets  into  the  habit  of  giving  to  the  cause  of 
God,  it  becomes  as  much  a  delight  to  contribute  of 
his  substance  as  to  pray  for  God's  bounty,  or  to  drink 
in  the  promise.  How  could  I  dare  to  exist  if  I  did 
not  do  something  for  Christ  ?  Not  do  something  for 
Jesus  ?  Were  it  not  to  rob  me  of  the  highest  privilege 
which  can  be  accorded  to  a  man  this  side  the  grave? 
When  I  pray,  I  ask  for  something  for  myself ;  when  I 
praise,  it  is  but  little  I  can  render  ;  but  oh,  to  think  that 
I,  a  poor  creature  of  God's  own  making,  should  be  able 
to  give  to  him !  It  puts  the  creature  in  the  highest 
conceivable  light.  It  lifts  him  even  above  angels.  There 
are  works  the  laborious,  disinterested,  self-sacrificing 
Christian  can  do  for  Christ — 


Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings,        239 

"  Which  perfect  saints  above 
And  holy  angels  cannot  do." 

Let  the  wealthy  empty  themselves  upon  the  earth,  and 
this  shall  be  the  way  to  fill  themselves. 

But,  dear  friends,  though  not  many  of  ns  are  intrusted 
with  much  wealth,  we  have  other  aptitudes  to  be  useful. 
Some  Christians  have  a  considerable  antount  of  ability 
to  serve  the  Loi'd.  They  are,  perhaps,  able  to  speak 
for  the  Master.  Xow,  I  think  that  wherever  there  is 
some  knowledge  of  God's  Word,  a  personal  acquaintance 
with  its  power,  and  a  facility  to  s'peak,  we  should  exer- 
cise our  talent,  if  it  be  but  one  ;  and  if  we  have  ten,  we 
should  not  keep  one  of  the  ten  to  ourselves.  *'  If  the  T 
clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  themselves  upon  the 
earth  ;  "  and  if  a  man  be  full  of  ability,  he  is  the  more 
bound  to  empty  himself.  If  there  is  any  minister  who 
ought  to  work  hard,  it  is  the  man  who  is  successful. 
If  there  is  a  person  living  who  ought  to  be  always  suc- 
cessful, it  is  the  man  whom  God  helps  to  preach  with 
power.  I  say,  if  God  makes  me  a  full  cloud,  I  must  go  on 
emptying.  If  he  gives  me  a  good  store,  I  must  take  care 
that  I  scatter  it.  We  must  do,  each  man  according  to 
his  ability,  for  God  requireth  not  what  a  man  hath  not, 
but  what  he  hath.  Now,  dear  Christian  friends,  are 
you  all,  out  of  love  for  Jesus,  doing  what  you  can  for 
him  ?  Are  you,  whether  you  be  big  clouds  or  little 
clouds,  trying  to  empty  yourselves  upon  the  earth  \ 
The  nearest  people  of  your  acquaintance — your  children, 
your  kinsfolk,  your  neighbors — are  you  trying  to  show 
these  the  way  of  life — 

"  Do  you  gladly  tell  to  sinners  round, 
What  a  dear  Saviour  you  have  found." 


240  Types  and  Emblems. 

Though  comparatively  few  of  us  have  great  genius, 
we  all  have  some  little  capacity.  Some  Christians  have 
a  large  amount  of  experimental  'knowledge.  They  are 
not  eloquent,  they  are  not  educated,  but  they  are  wise. 
It  has  been  our  privilege  to  have  met  with  those  in  the 
very  humblest  walks  of  life,  whose  experimental  knowl- 
edge of  divine  things  was  very  much  more  profound 
than  would  usually  be  found  in  a  doctor  of  divinity  ; 
men  and  women  who  have  learned  their  theology  not 
in  halls  and  colleges,  but  in  courts  and  cellars ;  learned 
how  to  pray  on  bare  knees  ;  learned  how  to  cry  to  the 
God  of  providence  when  the  cupboard  was  empty ; 
have  tried  the  reality  of  religion  in  the  hospital,  and 
perhaps  in  the  workhouse  ;  some  who  have  done  busi- 
ness in  the  great  waters,  and  have  seen  the  works  of 
the  Lord,  and  his  wonders  in  the  deep. 

It  is  a  great  treat  to  talk  to  some  of  those  old  saints. 
Their  lips  are  like  the  lips  of  the  girl  in  tlie  fable,  which 
dropped  jewels.  There  is  a  savor,  an  unction,  about 
what  they  say.  It  is  not  theory,  but  experience  with 
them  ;  not  the  letter,  but  the  very  soul,  and  marrow, 
and  fatness  of  the  truth.  You  do  not  find  them  looking 
to  an  arm  of  flesh,  or  talking  about  the  dignity  of  man- 
hood, or  vaunting  the  excellence  of  mental  power.  They 
know  of  nothing  except  human  weakness  and  nothing- 
ness ;  they  trust  in  nothing  but  the  divine  arm,  and  the 
invincible  strength  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Are  there  not 
some  such  in  our  midst  ?  If  you  have  any  experience, 
let  me  say  to  you — do,  as  you  have  opportunity,  tell  it 
out;  empty  it  upon  the  earth.  If  you  have  gained 
some  knowledge  of  God,  communicate  it.  If  3^ou 
have  proved  him,  confess  to  a  generation  about  you 


Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings.        241 

that  he  is  a  faithful  God.  I  recollect  in  a  time  of  great 
despondency  deriving  wonderful  comfort  from  the  testi- 
mony of  an  aged  minister  who  was  blind,  and  had 
been  so  for  twenty  years.  When  he  addressed  us,  he 
spoke  of  the  faithfulness  of  God,  with  the  weak  voice  of 
a  tremulous  old  man,  but  with  the  firmness  of  one  who 
knew  what  he  said,  because  he  had  tasted  and  handled 
it.  I  thanked  God  for  what  he  had  said.  It  was  not 
much  in  itself.  If  I  had  read  it  in  a  book,  it  would  not 
have  struck  me  ;  but  as  it  came  from  liim,  from  the  very 
man  who  knew  it  and  understood  it,  it  came  with  force 
and  with  unction.  So  you  experienced  Christians,  if 
any  others  are  silent,  you  must  not  be.  You  must  tell 
the  young  ones  of  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  you. 
Why,  some  of  you  good  old  Christian  people  are  apt  to 
get  talking  about  the  difficulties,  troubles,  and  afflic- 
tions you  have  met  with  more  than  about  the  succors, 
the  deliverances,  and  the  joys  you  have  proved ;  not 
unlike  those  persons  in  "  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  who  told 
poor  Pilgrim  about  the  lions,  and  giants,  and  dragons, 
and  the  sloughs,  and  hills,  and  all  that  could  terrify  and 
dishearten  him.  They  might  have  mentioned  all  this, 
but  they  should  also  have  told  of  Mr.  Greatheart,  and 
they  should  not  have  forgotten  to  speak  of  the  eternal 
arm  that  sustains  Christian  in  his  pilgrimage.  Tell 
the  troubles,  that  were  wise  ;  but  tell  the  strength  of 
God  that  makes  you  sufficient,  that  is  wiser  still. 
Empty  yourselves.  If  you  have  got  experience,  empty 
yourselves  upon  the  earth. 

I  cannot  particularize  here  what  manner  of  endow- 
ment God  has  committed  to  any  or  all  of  you ;  but  I 
think  there  is  not  one  saint  out  of  heaven  but  has  his 
11 


2-i2  Types  and  Emblems. 

niche  to  fill,  his  particular  work  to  do,  and  therefore 
some  special  talent  intrusted  to  hira.  Do  not  hide  it 
in  the  earth.  Dig  up  that  talent,  and  that  napkin  too, 
and  go  and  put  it  out  to  heavenly  interest  for  the  ben- 
efit of  others,  and  for  the  glory  of  your  God.  Herein 
is  the  folly  of  so  man}^  Christians,  that,  being  wrapped 
up  in  the  interest  of  their  own  salvation,  and  taken 
up  with  their  own  doubts  and  fears,  there  is  little  care 
they  feel  and  little  trouble  they  take  for  others.  They 
never  seem  to  empty  themselves  out  into  the  world 
that  is  around  them,  and  go  forth  into  the  world  big- 
ger than  the  homestead  in  which  they  live.  But  when 
a  man  begins  to  think  about  others,  to  care  for  others, 
to  value  the  souls  of  others,  then  his  thoughts  of  God 
get  larger,  then  his  consolations  grow  greater,  and  his 
spirit  becomes  more  Godlike.  A  selfish  Christianity  ! 
What  shall  I  call  it  but  an  unchristian  Christianity,  a 
solecism  in  terms,  a  contradiction  in  its  very  essence. 
You  do  not  find  the  men  who  are  anxious  after  others 
so  often  troubled  in  mind  as  those  who  give  no  thought 
except  to  themselves.  Mr.  Whitefield,  in  his  diary, 
has  his  times  of  depression,  but  they  are  comparatively 
few  ;  and  when  he  is  going  from  one  "  pulpit-throne," 
as  he  calls  it,  to  another  and  is  preaching  all  day  long, 
and  is  hearing  the  sobs  and  cries  of  sinners,  and  per- 
haps bearing  the  hootings  and  peltings  of  a  mob  ;  sit- 
ting down  as  soon  as  he  has  done  in  public  to  finish  up 
his  letters,  or  to  devote  an  hour  to  prayer — why,  he  has 
not  time  enough  to  get  desponding ;  he  cannot  aftbrd 
space  enough  to  be  doubting  his  own  interest  in  Christ. 
He  is  engaged  in  his  Master's  service,  and  has  so  much 
of  the  blessing  of  God  upon  it,  that  he  goes  right  on 


Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings.        243 

without  needing  to  stop.  Christians!  may  you  get 
into  the  same  delightful  state — warm  with  love  to 
Christ,  fervent  with  zeal  for  the  spread  of  his  kingdom. 
Tou  shall  not  need  then  to  ask  any  longer — 

'*  'Tis  a  point  I  long  toknow, 
Oft  it  causes  anxious  thought — 
Do  I  love  the  Lord  or  no, 
Am  I  his,  or  am  I  not  ?  " 

but  you  may  give  a  practical  answer  to  such  scruples  by 

saying — 

"  There's  not  a  lamb  in  all  thy  flock, 
I  would  disdain  to  feed  ; 
There's  not  a  foe  before  whose  face 
I'd  fear  thy  cause  to  plead." 

*'  If  the  clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  themselves 
upon  the  earth." 

Observe,  lastly,  when  it  is  that  the  clouds  do  empty 
themselves.  The  text  says,  when  they  are  full.  This 
is  a  broad  hint,  I  think,  to  the  Christian  ;  it  tells  him 
when  to  worh,  David  was  to  attack  the  Philistines  at 
a  certain  signal.  "When  thou  hearest  the  sound  of  a 
going  in  the  tops  of  the  mulberry-trees,  then  thou  shalt 
bestir  thyself."  Take  this  as.  a  divine  signal;  when 
you  are  full,  it  is  time  for  you  to  set  about  doing  good, 
emptying  yourselves  upon  the  earth.  Mr.  Jay  tells 
young  students — and  there  are  some  here — that  they 
cannot  always  sermonize,  but  that  there  will  come  times 
when  they  can.  "  iN'ow,"  says  he,  "  when  I  find  that 
the  wind  blows  I  put  up  the  sails ;  I  make  hay  while 
the  sun  shines,  and  get  the  outlines  of  my  sermons 
when  God  assists  me  to  do  so,  that  I  may  have  them  in 
readiness,  when,  perhaps,  the  breeze  may  not  seem  to  be 
so  favorable,  and  my  mind  not  so  much  upon  the  wing." 

Do  good  to  yourselves  by  storing  up  when  you  have 


24:4:  Types  and  Emblems, 

opportunity.  But  yet  Christians  have  particular  times 
when  they  feel  fuller  than  at  others.  A  sermon  has 
warmed  your  heart ;  or  you  feel  grateful,  joyous,  and 
zealous,  on  some  other  account.  Well,  perhaps,  you 
will  feel  sick  to-morrow ;  so  you  had  better  go  and  do 
some  good  to-day.  "Nothing  like  the  time  present," 
is  the  world-old  motto.  "  A  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth 
two  in  the  bush,"  saith  the  proverb.  Rest  assured  that 
a  duty  to-day  done  will  be  worth  two  duties  saved  for 
to-morrow.  A  word  spoken  for  Christ  to  somebody 
before  you  go  out  of  the  Tabernacle  may  be  timely, 
opportune,  profitable ;  but,  if  you  wait  for  season  or 
circumstance  to  be  more  convenient,  you  may  wait  and 
wait  till  you  are  weary  of  waiting,  but  you  might  as 
well  expect  a  lost  hour  to  return  as  a  lost  opportunity. 
A  Primitive  Methodist  brother  said  at  one  of  the  meet- 
ings lately,  that  the  reason  why  the  Primitive  Method- 
ists got  on  so  was,  that  while  other  Christians  were 
waiting  for  something  to  turn  up,  the  Primitive  Method- 
ists turned  it  up  themselves.  It  was  a  quaint  thing 
to  say  certainly,  but  there  is  a  great  truth  in  it.  Some 
Christian  people  are  always  biding  their  time  and  reserv- 
ing themselves  for  a  happy  juncture.  They  want  a  fit 
occasion  for  doing  good,  and  they  mean  to  do  something 
worthy  of  themselves  when  they  get  the  opportunit3\ 
My  brethren,  you  have  always  an  opportunity  if  you  will. 
How  does  Solomon  put  it  ?  "  AVhatsoever  thy  hand  tind- 
eth  to  do  " — the  first  thing  which  comes — "  do  it  with 
all  thy  might."  I  am  ashamed  to  have  to  say  as  much  as 
this  in  this  vast  City  of  London.  Want  work  ?  Non- 
sense !  Laziness !  Want  work  in  a  city  like  London  ! 
A  Christian  woman  want  work  for  God  in  a  city  of 


Black  Clouds  and  Bright  Blessings,        245 

three  million  inhabitants,  with  all  its  sickness  and  sor- 
row, its  destitution  and  squalor !  A  Christian  man  not 
know  what  to  do  to  serve  his  Master  with  all  these 
courts,  and  alleys,  and  crowded  houses ;  with  all  their 
filth  and  moral  pollution,  with  all  the  thousands  of  gin- 
palaces  that  glare  in  the  streets,  and  the  crimes  of  drunk- 
enness that  darken  the  homes  of  the  people !  Noth- 
ing for  a  Christian  to  do !  You  are  lazj,  sirs ;  lazy, 
listless,  sluggish,  or  else  you  would  never  raise  such  a 
question.  It  is  not,  "What  should  I  do?"  but 
"Where  shall  I  begin  doing  it— which  is  the  first 
point  ? "  And  I  would  say,  begin  at  the  point  that  is 
nearest  to  you.  So  they  did  when  they  built  the  walls 
of  Jerusalem.  Every  man  built  opposite  to  his  own 
house.  There,  you  see,  the  advantage  was  he  had  not 
to  walk  two  miles  to  his  work  at  morn  and  then  come 
back  at  night.  He  built  opposite  to  his  own  house,  so 
he  was  spared  all  that  trouble.  And  when  he  had  a 
little  leisure  time,  when  he  went  to  his  dinner,  he 
could  sit  and  look  at  his  work,  and  think  how  to  do  it 
better  next  time.  There  was  a  further  advantage  in 
that.  Much  economy  and  great  benefit  would  come 
of  it  were  Christians  to  work  near  where  they  live,  and 
take  up  that  part  of  Christian  service  most  congenial 
to  their  circumstances  and  to  their  tastes.  "  Whatso- 
ever thy  hand  findeth  to  do  " — next  to  thine  own  door 
— "  do  it  with  all  thy  might."  Begin  to  do  it ;  con- 
tinue to  do  it,  being  always  steadfast  and  immovable  in 
the  work  of  the  Lord.  But  if  there  be  a  time  when 
you  shall  specially  and  particularly  labor  for  Christ,  do 
it  when  you  are  full  of  his  love.  You  have  had  a 
mercy  lately — a  great  mercy ;  now  is  the  time  for  lib- 


246  Types  and  Emblems. 

eralitj.  You  were  spared  from  bankruptcy  during 
the  great  crisis :  consecrate  to  God  what  might  have 
been  lost.  You  feel  full  of  love  to  Jesus ;  go,  talk 
about  Jesus  to  those  who  do  not  know  him.  You  are 
full  of  zeal ;  let  it  manifest  itself.  You  are  full  of 
faith ;  exercise  it.  You  are  full  of  hope ;  now  go  and 
lead  others  into  the  same  hopeful  state.  Pray  for  a  bless- 
ing upon  others  when  you  have  had  the  best  season  of 
prayer,  the  sweetest  period  of  communion  at  the  Lord's 
Table,  or  when  you  have  been  well  fed  on  the  Word. 
"  If  the  clouds  be  full,  they  empty  themselves  upon 
the  earth." 

God  grant  to  those  of  you  who  have  no  rest,  who  are 
without  God,  and  without  Christ,  that  ye  may  know 
your  emptiness ;  and  then  the  Lord  fill  you  with  his 
own  rich  grace,  as  he  is  wont  to  do  to  all  those  that 
put  their  trust  in  him. 


^abib's  Jfirst  fitforij. 


"  So  David  prevailed  over  the  Philistine  witli  a  sling  and  with  a 
Btone,  and^mote  the  Philistine,  and  slew  him  ;  but  there  was  no 
sword  in  the  hand  of  David. " — 1  Samuel  xvii.  50. 


CAREFUL  perusal  of  the  whole  chapter  will 
well  repay  j^our  pains.  I  have  selected  a 
verse  for  convenience,  but  I  want  the  entire 
narrative  for  a  text.  If  you  are  well  versed 
in  the  history,  we  shall  have  no  need  of  any 
preface  or  exordium.  So  we  shall  proceed  at  once  to 
regard  David,  in  his  conflict  with  Goliath,  aud  his  vic- 
tory over  him,  first,  as  a  type  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and,  secondlj^,  as  an  example  for  ourselves.  As  that 
which  is  a  type  of  the  head  always  bears  a  relation- 
ship to  the  members,  and  as  the  members  of  Christ's 
msytical  body  now  are,  and  shall  yet  more  fully  be, 
like  unto  himself,  it  is  but  one  thought,  after  all,  that 
we  shall  be  following  out  in  the  meditation  that  lies 
before  us. 

I.  Let  us  begin  by  calling  your  attention  to  the  fact 
that  David  in  this  matter  was  a  type  of  ouk  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

The  early  fatlicrs  of  the  church  were  very  great  in 


248  Types  and  Eniblems. 

opening  np  typical  analogies.  So  full,  indeed,  were  they 
in  their  expositions,  and  so  minute  in  their  details,  that 
at  length  they  went  too  far,  and  degenerated  into  trifling. 
Origen,  for  example,  very  notably  exceeded  what  can  be 
regarded  as  wise  interpretation  in  giving  spiritual  mean- 
ings to  literal  records.  And  others,  who  essayed  to  go 
yet  farther  than  that  great  master  of  mysticism,  very 
soon  did  much  damage  to  the  church  of  God,  bringing 
precious  truths  into  serious  discredit.  The  study  of  the 
types  of  the  Old  Testament  has  scarcely  regained  its 
proper  place  in  the  Christian  cliurch  since  the  days  in 
which  those  gi'acious  men,  by  their  imprudent  zeal,  per- 
verted it.  We  cannot,  however,  bring  ourselves  to  think 
that  a  good  thing  ceases  to  be  good  because  it  has  at 
some  time  been  turned  to  an  ill  account.  We  think  it 
can  still  be  used  properly  and  profitably.  Within  cer- 
tain limits,  then — limits,  we  suppose,  which  there  is  lit- 
tle danger  of  transgressing  in  these  mechanical,  unpoetic 
times — the  types  and  the  allegories  of  Holy  Scripture 
may  be  used  as  a  hand-book  of  instruction — a  'vade 
mecum  of  sound  doctrine.  Now,  by  common  consent  of 
all  Evangelical  Christians,  David  is  accepted  to  be  an 
eminent  type  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  With  regard 
to  this  particular  transaction  let  us  note,  at  the  outset, 
that  before  he  fought  with  Goliath,  David  was  anointed 
of  God.  Samuel  had  gone  down  to  Bethlehem  and 
poured  a  horn  of  oil  upon  his  head.  The  parallel  will 
readily  occur  to  you.  Thus  hath  the  Lord  found  out  for 
himself  one  whom  he  has  chosen  out  of  the  people. 
With  his  holy  oil  hath  he  anointed  him.  Upon  Saul's 
head  a  phial  of  oil  was  poured — upon  David's  head  a 
full  horn  of  oil.     This  may  perhaps  be  designed  to  con- 


David's  First   Victm^y,  249 

trast  the  brevity  and  scant  renown  of  Saul's  reign,  with 
the  length,  and  power,  and  excellence  of  the  reign  of 
David.  Or,  being  interpreted  spiritually,  it  may  denote 
that  the  law,  the  old  Judaism  of  which  Saul  is  the  type, 
had  but  a  limited  measure  of  blessing,  while  that  of  the 
gospel,  which  David  represents,  is  characterized  by  its 
abounding  fulness.  Jesus,  the  antitype  of  David,  is 
anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  his  fellows. 
Grace  and  truth  came  b}^  Jesus  Christ.  The  Spirit  was 
not  given  by  measure  unto  him.  David  was  anointed 
several  times — he  was  anointed,  as  you  read  in  the  chap- 
ter preceding  our  text,  "  in  the  midst  of  his  brethren  " — 
anointed,  as  you  find  in  2  Samuel  ii.4,  by  his  brethren, 
the  men  of  Judah — and  anointed  again,  as  you  will 
observe  in  2  Samuel  v.  3,  by  all  the  elders  of  Israel. 
"We  will  not  go  into  that  now,  but  it  will  suffice  us  to 
note  that  so  was  our  Lord  anointed  of  God,  is  anointed 
of  his  saints,  and  shall  be  anointed  of  the  whole  church. 
The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  upon  him,  and  it  was  in  the 
power  of  that  Spirit  with  which  he  was  anointed  of  the 
Father,  that  he  went  forth  to  fight  the  great  battles  of 
his  church.  At  his  baptism,  coming  up  out  of  the  Jor- 
dan, he  was  anointed  by  the  Spirit  as  it  rested  upon 
him,  descending  out  of  heaven  like  a  dove ;  and  straight- 
way he  went,  as  he  was  driven,  into  the  wilderness,  and 
held  that  notable  forty  days'  conflict  with  the  arch-fiend, 
the  dire  adversary  of  souls.  His  battles  were  in  the 
spirit  and  power  of  the  Highest,  for  the  might  and 
majesty  of  the  Eternal  Spirit  rested  upon  him. 

See  how  the  correspondence  goes  on.     Our  Lord  was 
sent  by  his  Father  to  his  brethren.     As  David  was  sent 
by  Jesse  to  his  brethren  with  suitable  presents  and 
11* 


250  Types  and  EmhUms. 

comfortable  words,  in  order  to  commune  with  them, 
even  so  in  the  fulness  of  time  was  our  Lord  commis- 
sioned to  visit  his  brethren.  He  remained  concealed 
for  awhile  in  the  house  of  his  reputed  father,  but  al'ter- 
wards  he  came  forth,  and  was  distinctly  recognized  as 
the  sent  One  of  God,  bearing  countless  gifts  in  his 
hands,  coming  on  an  embassage  of  mercy  and  of  love 
from  God  to  those  whom  he  was  not  ashamed  to  call 
his  brethren.  We  have  read  how  David  was  treated. 
His  brethren  did  not  receive  him  lovingly.  They 
answered  his  unaffected  kindness  with  unprovoked 
rudeness:  bitter  things  did  they  lay  to  his  charge. 
How  truly  does  this  answer  to  the  manner  in  which 
our  Lord,  the  Son  of  David,  was  abused.  He  came 
unto  his  own,  and  his  own  received  him  not.  Though 
he  came  to  them  with  words  of  tenderness,  they  replied 
to  him  with  words  of  scorn.  For  his  blessings  they 
gave  him  curses ;  for  the  bread  of  heaven  they  gave 
him  stones ;  and  for  the  benedictions  of  heaven  they 
gave  him  the  spite  of  earth,  the  maledictions  of  hell ! 
Never  was  a  brother,  '*  the  first-born  among  many 
brethren,"  so  ill-used  by  the  rest  of  the  household. 
Surely  that  parable  of  the  wicked  husbandman  was 
fullilled  toward  him.  We  know  it  is  written  that  the 
vine-dresser  said,  "  This  is  my  son,  they  will  reverence 
him  ; "  but  contrariwise  they  said,  "  This  is  the  heir : 
let  us  kill  him,  and  the  inheritance  shall  be  ours." 
Jesus  was  roughly  handled  by  his  brethren,  whom  he 
came  to  bless.  David,  you  will  remember,  answered 
his  brethren  with  great  gentleness.  He  did  not  return 
railing  for  railing,  but  with  much  gentleness  he  endured 
their  churlishness.     In  this  he  supplied  us  with  but  a 


David^s  First   Victory.  251 

faint  picture  of  our  beloved  Master,  who,  when  he  was 
reviled,  reviled  not  again.  *•  Consider  him  that  endured 
such  contradiction  of  sinners  against  himself."  His 
only  reply,  even  to  the  strokes  which  were  to  effect  his 
death,  was,  "Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do."  "  We  hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from 
him ;  he  was  despised,  and  we  esteemed  him  not." 
Yet  for  all  that,  no  word  of  anger  dropped  from  his 
lips.  He  might  have  said,  "  Is  there  not  a  cause  ?  " 
Little  spake  he,  however,  in  his  own  defence  ;  he  rather 
went  about  his  life-work  as  zealously  as  if  all  who  saw 
him  had  approved  him.  So  David,  being  thus  rejected 
of  his  brethren,  became  a  type  of  Christ. 

We  pass  on  to  observe  that  David  was  moved  by  an 
intense  love  of  his  people.  He  saw  them  defied  by  the 
Philistine.  As  he  marked  how  they  were  crushed  in 
spirit  before  their  formidable  enemies,  a  fervent  indio-- 
nation  stirred  his  soul ;  but  when  he  heard  the  terms 
of  defiance,  he  felt  that  the  God  of  Israel  himself  was 
compromised  in  this  quarrel.  The  name  of  Jehovah 
was  dishonored!  That  braggart  giant  who  stalked 
before  the  hosts  defied  the  armies  of  the  living  God  I 
No  wonder  that  the  warm  and  devout  heart  of  the 
brave  young  shepherd  was  moved  with  a  mighty  heav- 
ing. The  passion  of  a  warrior  kindled  in  his  breast 
at  the  sound  of  that  profane  voice  of  the  uncircumcised 
Philistine,  who  could  trifle  with  the  honor  of  Jehovah, 
the  God  of  heaven  and  of  earth !  A  further  motive 
was  present  to  stimulate  his  patriotic  ambition.  How 
could  David's  bosom  fail  to  glow  with  strong  emotion 
when  he  was  told  that  the  man  who  should  vanquish 
and  slay  that  Philistine  should  be  married  to  the  king's 


252  Types  and  Emhlems. 

daughter  ?  Such  a  prize  might  well  quicken  his  ardor. 
But  with  all  these  motives  acting  upon  him,  his  deter- 
mination to  go  forth  and  do  battle  with  the  champion 
of  Philistia  was  prompt  and  resolute.  Kow  in  all  this 
he  plainly  foreshadowed  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He 
loved  his  own  :  he  was  always  ready  to  lay  down  his 
life  for  the  sheep.  But  he  loved  his  Father :  "  Wist 
ye  not,"  he  had  said  of  old,  "  that  I  must  be  about  my 
Father's  business?"  "The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath 
eaten  me  up."  And  then  there  was  the  joy  that  was 
set  before  him  that  he  should  have  the  church  for  his 
spouse ;  that  at  the  peril,  not  to  say  the  price  of  his 
life,  he  should  obtain  her ;  that  he  should  see  of  the 
travail  of  his  soul  in  her,  and  should  be  satisfied.  She 
was  to  be  lifted  up  to  his  royalties,  and  to  share  his 
crown  and  throne.  The  new  Jerusalem,  the  mother 
of  us  all,  was  to  be  unto  Jesus  the  gift  of  God  as  his 
reward ;  and  this  inspired  him,  so  he  went  forth  and 
entered  upon  the  battle  for  our  sakes.  Let  us  pause 
and  bless  his  name  that  ever  he  should  have  loved  the 
people,  and  that  the  saints  should  have  been  in  his 
hands.  Let  us  bless  him  that  the  zeal  of  God's  house 
did  eat  him  up, — that  he  consecrated  himself  so  fully 
to  the  great  enterprise.  Above  all,  let  us  humbly  and 
gratefully  bless  him  that  he  loved  us  and  gave  himself 
for  us.  As  a  part  of  his  church  whom  he  had  betrothed 
unto  himself  for  ever,  we  are  partakers  in  all  that  he 
did.  It  was  for  us  that  he  fought  the  fight,  for  us  he 
won  the  victory,  for  us  he  has  gone  into  glory.  And 
he  will  come  by  and  by  to  take  us  up  to  behold  that 
glory,  and  be  with  him  where  he  is.  While  we  see 
the  type  in  David,  let  us  take  care  not  to  forget  to  adore 


David^s  First    Victory.  253 

Jesus  himself,  who  is  here  mirrored  forth  to  our  minds 
in  the  achievement  of  our  salvation. 

I  might,  indeed,  instance  many  further  details  in 
which  David  yet  further  became  a  type  of  our  Lord. 
The  whole  narrative  being  full  of  minute  particulars, 
supplies  us  copiously  with  points  of  analogy.  But  there 
is  one  thing  I  would  have  you  specially  observe. 

Goliath  is  called  in  the  Hebrew,  not  "  champion,"  as 
we  read  it  in  the  English,  but  the  middle-man^  the  me- 
diator. If  you  put  the  whole  case  fairly  before  your  own 
minds,  you  will  readily  see  the  fitness  of  the  word  that 
is  used.  There  is  the  host  of  the  Philistines  on  the  one 
side,  and  there  is  the  host  of  Israel  on  the  other  side. 
A  valley  lies  between  them.  Goliath  says,  ''  I  will  rep- 
resent Philistia.  I  stand  as  the  middle-man.  Instead 
of  all  the  rank  and  file  coming  forth  personally  to  the 
fight,  I  appear  as  the  representative  of  my  nation — the 
mediator.  Choose  you  a  mediator  who  will  come  and 
contend  with  me.  Instead  of  the  battle  being  between 
the  individuals  of  which  the  respective  armies  are 
composed,  let  two  representative  men  decide  in  dread 
duel  the  question  in  debate.''  Now,  it  is  exactly  upon 
that  ground  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  fought  the  bat- 
tles of  his  people.  We  fell  representatively  in  the  first 
Adam,  and  our  salvation  now  is  by  another  representa- 
tive— the  second  Adam.  He  is  the  Middleman,  the  "  one 
Mediator  between  God  and  man.'-  In  his  love  to  us, 
and  his  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God,  we  may  view  him  as 
stepping  forward  into  the  midst  of  the  arena  which  di- 
vides the  camps  of  good  and  of  evil,  of  God  and  of  the 
devil,  and  there  facing  the  defiant  adversary,  he  stands 
to  contend  in  our  name  and  on  our  behalf,  if  we  be  in- 


254  Types  and  EmUems. 

deed  his  people,  tliat  he  may  decide  for  us  the  quarrel 
which  never  could  have  been  decided  by  us.  Personally, 
we  should,  beyond  a  doubt,  have  been  put  to  the  rout. 
But  his  one  single  arm  is  enough  to  win  the  victory 
for  us,  and  for  ever  to  end  the  conflicts  between  heaven 
and  hell. 

Mark  well  our  warrior  chief  as  he  goes  forth  to  the 
fight.  The  son  of  Jesse  rejected  all  carnal  weapons. 
He  might  have  had  them — they  put  the  helmet  on  his 
head,  and  the  mail  about  his  body,  and  they  were  about 
to  gird  the  sword  upon  his  loins — but  he  said,  "  I  can- 
not go  with  these,  for  I  have  not  proved  them."  In 
like  manner  the  Son  of  David  renounced  all  earthly 
armor.  They  would  have  taken  our  Lord  by  force,  and 
made  him  a  King,  but  he  said,  '-  My  kingdom  is  not  of 
this  world."  Swords  enough  wou;ld  have  leaped  from 
their  scabbards  at  his  bidding.  It  was  not  alone  Peter, 
whose  too-hasty  sword  smote  the  ear  of  Malchus,  but 
there  were  many  zealots  who  would  have  been  all  too 
glad  to  have  followed  the  star  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as 
in  former  days  ;  and  yet  more  frequently  in  later  days, 
the  Jews  followed  impostors  who  declared  themselves 
to  be  commissioned  by  the  Most  High  for  their  deliv- 
erance. But  Jesus  said,  "  Put  up  thy  sword  into  the 
sheath.  They  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  by  the 
sword."  No  doubt  one  of  the  temptations  of  the  desert 
was  not  only  that  he  should  have  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world,  but  that  he  should  have  them  by  the  use  of  such 
means  as  Satan  would  suggest.  He  must  fall  down 
and  worship  Satan :  he  must  use  the  carnal  weapon, 
which  would  be  tantamount  to  worshipping  him. 
Jesus  would  not  have  it.     To  this  day  the  great  fight  of 


David"* s  First    Victory.  255 

Jesiis  Christ  with  the  powers  of  darkness  is  not  Avith 
sword  and  hehnet,  but  with  the  smooth  stones  of  the 
brook.  The  simple  preaching  of  the  gospel  with  the 
shepherd's  crook  of  the  great  Head  of  the  church  held 
in  our  midst — this  it  is  that  lays  low  Goliath,  and  shall 
lay  him  low  to  the  last  day.  Yain  is  it  for  the  church 
even  to  think  that  she  shall  win  the  victory  by  wealth, 
or  by  rank,  or  by  civil  authority.  No  government  will 
assist  her.  To  the  power  of  God  alone  she  must  look, 
"  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts."  Happy  will  it  be  for  the  church 
when  she  learns  that  lesson.  The  preaching  of  the 
cross,  which  is  "  to  them  that  perish  foolishness,"  is, 
nevertheless,  to  us  who  believe  Christ,  *'  the  power  of 
God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God." 

See,  then,  our  glorious  Champion  going  forward  to 
the  fray  with  weapons  of  his  own  choosing,  and  those 
such  as  human  w^isdom  despises,  because  they  do  not 
appear  to  be  adapted  to  the  work.  With  great  strength 
and  power,  nevertheless,  did  he  go  forth,  for  he  went 
in  the  name  of  God.  "  Thou  comest  to  me,"  said 
David,  "  with  a  sword,  and  with  a  spear,  and  with  a 
shield  :  but  I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts."  Such,  too,  is  the  predominating  influence 
which  renders  the  gospel  omnipotent.  Christ  is  God's 
propitiation.  God  hath  "  set  him  forth  to  be  a  propi- 
tiation for  sin."  Christ  is  appointed  of  God,  anointed 
of  God,  sent  of  God.  And  the  gospel  is  God's  mes- 
sage, attended  with  God's  Spirit.  If  it  be  not,  then  is 
it  weak  as  water — it  must  fail.  But  since  the  Lord  has 
sent  it,  and  he  has  promised  to  bless  it,  we  may  rest 
assured  it  will  accomplish  the  ends  for  which  it  was 


25 G  Types  and  Emhlems. 

ordained.  "  I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
of  hosts  ! "  These  words  might  serve  as  a  motto  for 
all  those  who  are  sent  of  Christ,  and  represent  him  in 
the  dread  battle  for  precious  souls.  This  was  Christ's 
watchword,  when  for  our  sakes,  and  on  our  behalf,  he 
came  to  wrestle  with  sin,  to  bear  the  wrath  of  God, 
and  to  vanquish  death  and  hell !  He  came  in  the 
name  of  God. 

Mark  you  well  that  David  did  smite  Goliath,  and 
he  smote  him  effectually — not  in  the  loins,  or  on  the 
band,  or  on  the  foot — but  in  a  vital  point  he  delivered 
the  stroke  that  laid  him  low.  He  smote  him  on  the 
brow  of  his  presumption,  on  the  forehead  of  his  pride. 
I  suppose  he  had  lifted  up  his  vizor  to  take  a  look  at 
his  contemptible  adversary,  when  the  stone  sunk  in 
which  let  out  for  ever  that  boastful  soul.  So  when 
our  Lord  stood  forth  to  contend  with  sin,  he  projected 
his  atoning  sacrifice  as  a  stone  that  has  smitten  sin  and 
all  its  powers  upon  the  forehead.  Thus,  glory  be  to 
God,  sin  is  slain.  It  is  not  wounded  merely,  but  it  is 
slain  by  the  power  of  Jesus  Christ. 

And  remember  that  David  cut  off  Goliath's  head 
with  his  own  sword.  Augustine,  in  his  comment  on 
this  passage,  very  well  brings  out  the  thought  that 
the  triumph  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  is  here  set 
forth  in  the  history  of  David.  He,  "  through  death, 
destroyed  him  that  had  the  power  of  death,  that  is,  the 
devil."  "  He  death  by  dying  slew  " — cut  off  the  giant's 
head  with  his  own  sword.  The  cross  that  was  meant 
to  be  the  death  of  the  Saviour  was  the  death  of  sin. 
The  crucifixion  of  Jesus,  which  was  supposed  to  be  the 
victory  of  Satan,  was  the  consummation  of  his  victory 


David'^s  First   Victory.  257 

over  Satan.  Lo,  this  day  I  see  in  our  Conquering 
Hero's  hand  the  grizzly  head  of  the  monster  sin,  all 
dripping  with  gouts  of  gore.  Look  at  it,  ye  that  once 
were  under  its  tyranny.  Look  at  the  terrible  linea- 
ments of  that  hideous  and  gigantic  tyrant.  Your 
Lord  has  slain  your  foe.  Your  sins  are  dead  ;  he  has 
destroyed  them.  His  own  arm,  single-handed  and 
alone,  has  destroyed  your  gigantic  enemy..  "  The 
sting  of  death  is  sin,  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law ; 
but  thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Blessed  and  magni- 
fied be  his  holy  name.  And  when  David  had  thus 
achieved  the  death  of  Goliath,  he  was  met  by  the  maid- 
ens of  Israel,  who  came  forth  and  sang  in  responsive 
verse,  accompanied  with  the  music  of  their  timbrels 
and  joyous  dancings,  "  Saul  hath  slain  his  thousands,  and 
David  his  ten  thousands."  So  he  had  his  triumph. 
Meanwhile,  the  hosts  of  Israel,  seeing  that  the  Philis- 
tine Giant  was  dead,  took  heart  and  dashed  upon  the 
adversary'.  The  Philistines  were  affrighted  and  they 
fled,  and  every  Israelite  that  day  became  a  victor 
through  the  victory  of  David.  They  were  more  than 
conquerors,  through  him  that  had  loved  them  and  won 
the  victory  for  them.  So  let  us  now  bethink  ourselves 
to  be  victors.  Our  Lord  has  won  the  victory.  He  is 
to  his  glory  gone.  The  angels  have  met  him  on  the 
way.  They  have  said,  "Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye 
gates ;  even  lift  them  up,  ye  everlasting  doors ;  and 
the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in."  And  they  that 
have  been  with  him  have  answered  to  the  question, 
"Who  is  this  King  of  glory?"  They  have  said, 
"  The  Lord  mighty  in  battle :  He  is  the  King  of  glory. 


258  Ty-pes  and  Enihlems. 

Tlie  Lord  of  hosts:  He  is  the  King  of  glory."  And 
this  day  the  feeblest  believer  triumphs  in  Christ. 
Though  we  should  have  been  beaten,  nor  could  we 
have  hoped  for  victory — yet,  now,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord,  we  chase  our  enemies  ;  we  trample  sin  under 
our  feet ;  and  we  go  from  strength  to  strength  through 
his  completed  victory.  There  is  much  room  for  you 
to  think  here.  Will  you  think  this  over  for  j^our- 
selves?  It  is  better  I  should  not  do  all  the  thinking 
for  you.  You  will  find  the  analogy  capable  of  much 
amplification.  I  have  given  you  only  just  as  it  were 
a  sort  of  charcoal  outline — a  rough  draft.  Make  a 
picture  of  it  at  your  leisure,  and  it  may  prove  a  bene- 
ficial study  and  a  profitable  meditation. 

II.  With  much  brevity  let  us  now  revert  to  David 

as   AN   EXAMPLE    FOR    EVERY    BELIEVER    IN    ChRIST. 

Above  all  thino^s,  it  behooves  us,  dear  brethren  and 
sisters,  to  consider  that  if  we  are  ever  to  do  anything 
for  God  and  for  his  church,  we  must  be  anointed  with 
holy  oil.  O,  how  vain  it  would  be  for  us  to  grow  zeal- 
ous with  a  sort  of  creature  carnal  fanaticism,  and  to 
attempt  great  things,  in  sheer  presumption,  which  can 
only  issue  in  utter  failure.  Unless  the  Spirit  of  God 
be  upon  us  we  have  no  might  from  within  and  no 
means  from  without  to  rely  upon.  Wait  upon  the 
Lord,  beloved,  and  seek  strength  in  his  succor.  There 
cannot  come  out  of  you  what  has  not  been  put  into 
you.  You  must  receive  and  then  give  out.  Remem- 
ber how  the  Lord  Jesus  describes  it :  — "  The  water  that 
I  shall  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  spring- 
ing up  into  everlasting  life."  And  again,  in  another 
place,    "he  that    believeth  on    me   as   the  Scripture 


DaviiVs  First   Victory.  259 

hath  said,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living 
water." 

You  cannot  do  David's  work  if  you  have  not  David's 
anointing.  When  you  remember  that  your  divine 
Master  tarried  for  the  heavenly  anointing,  you  can 
hardly  expect  to  do  without  it.  Be  not  so  foolish.  Christ 
went  not  to  his  public  ministrations  till  the  Spirit  of  God 
rested  upon  him.  The  apostles  tarried  at  Jerusalem, 
and  went  not  forth  to  preach  till  power  was  given  to 
them  from  on  high.  The  point,  the  prerequisite,  the  sine 
qua  no7i  with  us,  is  to  have  that  power.  O,  to  preach 
in  that  power — to  pray  in  that  power — to  look  after 
wandering  souls  in  that  power !  Your  Sunday-school 
w^ork,  your  home  missionary  work,  your  every  form  of 
ministry  for  Christ,  must  be  done  in  that  power.  Get  ye 
to  your  knees.  Get  ye  to  the  cross.  Get  ye  to  your 
Master's  feet.  Sit  ye  still  in  faith  and  hope,  until  he 
shall  have  given  you  the  strength  that  shall  qualify 
you  to  do  the  Master's  work,  in  the  Master's  way,  to 
Master's  praise. 

David,  too,  stands  before  us  as  an  example  of  the 
fact  that  our  opportunity  will  come,  if  our  efficiency 
has  been  bestowed,  without  our  being  very  particular 
to  seek  it.  David  fell  into  position.  The  place  he  was 
fitted  to  occupy,  he  was  providentially  called  to  fill  as 
a  great  man  in  Israel.  Little  did  he  guess,  when  he 
went  with  the  load  of  cheeses  upon  his  shoulders,  that 
he  was  ere  long  to  be  distinguished  beyond  all  other 
men  in  Palestine.  Yet  it  was  so.  Beloved,  do  not  be 
in  a  huriy  to  look  out  for  you-r  sphere.  Be  ready  for 
your  sphere ;  your  sphere  will  come  to  you.  I  speak 
to  many  dear  young  brethren  who  are  studying  for  the 


260  Types  and  Emhlems. 

ministry.  Be  prepared  for  any  work  rather  than  be 
looking  out  for  some  particular  work.  God  has  his 
niche  for  you.  You  will  drop  on  your  feet :  depend 
upon  that.  Be  ready.  Your  business  is  to  be  ready. 
Have  your  tools  well  sharpened,  and  know  how  to 
handle  them.  The  place  will  come  to  you,  the  best 
place  for  you,  if  you  are  not  so  much  looking  after 
that  which  meets  your  taste,  as  after  that  which 
proves  you  to  be  a  vessel  fit  for  the  Master's  use. 
David  finds  his  occasion.  He  has  received  the 
Spirit  first,  which  is  the  main  thing,  and  then  he  has 
found  the  occasion  which  calls  out  his  credentials. 
These  things  being  clear,  I  gather  from  David's  example 
that  when  we  feel  a  call  from  God  to  do  something  for 
him,  and  for  his  church,  we  need  not  wait  until  those 
whom  we  hold  in  respect  coincide  with  us  as  to  the 
propriety  of  entering  upon  the  service.  Had  David 
said,  "  Well,  I  shall  wait  tillEhab,  and  Abinadab,  and 
Shammah,  my  elder  brothers,  are  all  perfectly  agreed 
that  I  am  the  man  to  fight  Goliath,"  I  suspect  he  would 
never  hav^e  fought  with  Goliath  at  all.  Great  defer- 
ence is  due  to  the  judgment  of  our  seniors,  but  greater 
respect  is  due  to  the  motions  of  the  Spirit  of  God  within 
our  heart.  I  would  to  God  there  were  more  regard 
shown  for  those  inward  monitions  among  Christians 
than  there  is  wont  to  be  in  these  times.  If  thou  hast 
a  thought  put  into  thy  heart,  or  a  charge  sounded  in 
thy  conscience,  obey  it,  man  ;  act  up  to  it,  though  no 
one  else  perceives  it  or  encourages  thee.  If  God  has 
shown  thee  his  counsel,  at  your  peril  hide  the  presage 
or  shrink  from  the  performance.  "What !  With  the 
fear  of  God  in  our  hearts,  and  a  commission  from  God 


David's  First   Victory.  261 

in  our  hands,  shall  we  halt  and  hesitate  and  become 
the  servants  of  men  ?  I  would  rather  die  than  have  to 
come  into  this  pulpit  to  ask  your  leave,  or  to  get  any 
man's  consent,  as  to  what  I  shall  preach.  God  wots 
he  will  speak — what  he  hath  to  say  to  me,  and  by  the 
help  of  his  good  Spirit  I  will  deliver  it  to  you  as  I  hear 
it  from  himself.  May  this  tongue  be  silent  or  ever  it 
becomes  the  servant  of  man.  David  was  of  that  mind. 
He  felt  he  had  something  to  do,  and  though  he  could 
listen  to  what  other  people  had  to  say,  yet  they  were 
no  masters  of  his.  He  served  the  living  God,  and  he 
went  about  the  business  intrusted  to  him  undaunted 
by  any  judgment  they  might  form  of  him.  He  that 
speaketh  for  God  should  speak  honestly.  Let  others 
criticise  and  sift  the  chaff  from  the  wheat.  He  must 
expect  that.  But  as  for  himself,  let  him  give  out  the 
pure  wheat  as  he  believeth  it  to  be,  and  fear  no  man, 
lest  he  come  under  the  condemnation  of  the  God  of 
heaven.  Go,  my  brother,  about  thy  business,  if  God 
give  it  thee  to  do.  If  I  upbraid  thee,  what  of  that  ? 
I  am  but  a  man.  Or  if  all  those  in  whose  good  esteem 
you  would  gladly  stand  turn  upon  you  with  hard  sus- 
picions and  cutting  censures — they  are  but  men,  and 
to  God  alone  is  your  allegiance  due.  Go  thou  about 
thy  Master's  work,  as  David  did,  with  dauntless  nerve 
but  modest  mien.  He  were  an  ill  servant  who,  after 
once  getting  his  Master's  orders,  should  leave  them 
unperformed,  and  excuse  himself  by  saying,  "I  met 
one  of  my  fellow-servants,  and  he  said  he  thought  I 
might  be  too  bold  in  my  adventure,  and  therefore  I 
had  better  not  attempt  it."  To  your  own  Master  you  will 
stand  or  fall.     Take  care  that  you  stand  well  with  him. 


262  Tyjpes  and  Emhlems, 

Learn  from  David,  too,  to  return  quiet  answers  to 
tliose  wiio  would  roughly  put  you  aside  from  your  work. 
Generally  it  is  better  to  return  no  answer  at  all.  I 
think  David  spake  not  so  well  by  word  as  by  deed. 
His  conduct  was  more  eloquent  than  his  language.  As 
he  came  back  from  the  light,  holding  up  the  giant's 
head,  I  could  hope  that  Eliab  saw  him  ;  and  that 
Abinadab  and  Shammah  came  out  to  meet  him.  If 
they  did,  he  might  simply  have  held  up  the  trophy, 
and  allowed  its  ghastly  visage  to  reply  for  him.  It  is 
not,  they  would  think,  after  all,  because  of  his  pride  or 
the  naughtiness  of  his  heart,  or  from  an  idle  curiosity 
to  see  the  battle,  that  he  has  come.  They  would  per- 
ceive that  he  had  come  to  do  God's  work  in  his  own 
way  :  that  God  had  helped  him  to  gain  the  victory, 
rout  the  foe,  and  relieve  the  fears  of  Israel ;  and  that 
through  the  man  whom  they  despised  the  Lord  had 
made  his  own  name  glorious. 

Learn,  again,  from  David's  example,  the  prudence  of 
keeping  to  tried  weapons.  I  have  often  heard  it  spoken 
of  as  an  unlikely  thing  that  David  should  kill  the  giant 
with  a  stone.  I  think  those  who  talk  so  miss  the  point. 
What  missile  could  be  handier  or  better  suited  for  the 
occasion  \  If  the  fellow  was  tall,  a  sling  would  carry  a 
stone  high  enough  to  reach  him  ;  and  if  he  was  strong, 
very  strong,  the  sling  would  give  such  impetus  to  the 
stone  that  David  could  assail  his  adversary  without 
getting  within  his  reach.  It  was  the  best  weapon  he 
could  have  used.  Oriental  shepherds,  if  those  of  olden 
time  were  like  those  of  modern  days,  had  practice 
enough  to  make  them  proficient  in  slinging  stones. 
They  spend  many  hours  both  alone  and  with  their  fel- 


David's  First    Victory.  263 

lows  over  feats  of  the  sling.  It  is  generally  their  best 
weapon  for  the  protection  of  their  sheep  in  the  vast 
solitudes.  I  do  not  doubt  that  David  had  learnt  to  sling 
a  stone  to  a  hair's  breadth,  and  not  miss.  As  for  the 
sword,  he  had  never  had  one  in  his  life ;  for  there  was 
neither  sword  nor  spear  found  in  the  hand  of  any  of  the 
people  that  were  with  Saul  and  Jonathan,  save  that 
Avhich  was  found  with  Saul  and  Jonathan  his  son.  We 
are  told  as  much  as  that  in  the  thirteenth  chapter.  The 
Philistines  had  so  completely  disarmed  the  whole  popu- 
lace that  they  had  not  got  any  such  weapons.  With 
the  use  of  them,  therefore,  David  could  not  have  been 
familiar.  And  as  the  coat  of  mail — a  cumbersome, 
uneasy,  comfortless  equipment — the  wonder  to  me  is 
how  the  knights  of  old  did  anything  at  all  in  such 
accoutrements.  No  marvel  that  David  put  the  thing 
off.  He  felt  most  at  ease  in  his  own  shepherd's  garb. 
Of  course  we  are  not  going  to  infer  that  unsuitable 
instruments  are  desirable.  We  teach  nothing  so  ro- 
mantic or  absurd.  It  well  becomes  us  to  use  the  most 
suitable  tools  we  can  find.  As  for  those  stones  out  of 
the  brook,  David  did  not  pick  them  up  at  hazard  ;  he 
carefully  chose  them,  selecting  smooth  stones  that  would 
fit  exactly  in  his  sling — the  kind  of  stone  he  thought 
best  fitted  for  his  purpose.  Nor  did  he  trust  in  his 
sling.  He  tells  us  he  trusted  in  God,  but  he  went  to 
work  with  his  sling  as  if  he  felt  the  responsibility  to  be 
his  own.  To  miss  the  mark  would  prove  his  own  clum- 
siness :  to  compass  his  aim  would  be  of  God's  enabling. 
Such,  my  briithren,  is  the  true  philosophy  of  a  Chris- 
tian's life.  You  are  to  do  good  works  as  zealously  as  if 
you  were  to  be  saved  by  your  good  works,  and  you  are 


2(j4:  Types  and  Ernhlems.    - 

to  trust  in  the  merits  of  Christ  as  though  you  had  done 
nothing  at  all.  So,  too,  in  the  service  of  God,  though 
you  are  to  work  for  God  as  if  the  fulfilment  of  your 
mission  rested  with  yourselves,  you  must  clearly  under- 
stand, and  steadfastly  believe,  that  after  all,  the  whole 
matter  from  first  to  last  rests  with  God.  Without  him 
all  you  have  ever  planned  or  performed  is  unavailing. 
That  was  sound  philosophy  of  Mahomet's  when  the 
man  said,  "  I  have  turned  my  camel  loose,  and  trusted 
in  providence."  "  No,"  answered  he,  "  tie  your  camel 
up  and  then  trust  in  providence."  Do  the  best  you 
can  and  trust  in  God.  God  never  meant  that  faith  in 
him  should  be  synonymous  with  sloth.  Why,  for  the 
matter  of  that,  if  it  is  all  God's  w^ork,  and  that  is  to  be 
the  only  consideration,  there  is  no  need  for  David  to 
have  a  sling.  Nay,  there  is  not  any  need  for  David  at 
all.  He  may  go  back,  lie  on  his  back  in  the  middle  of 
the  field,  and  say,  "  God  will  do  his  work  :  he  does  not 
want  me."  That  is  how  fatalists  would  talk,  but  not 
how  believers  in  God  would  act.  They  say,  "  God  wills 
it,  therefore  I  am  going  to  do  it " — not  "  God  does  it, 
and  therefore  there  is  nothing  for  me  to  do."  Nay, 
"  Because  God  works  by  me,  therefore  I  will  work  by 
his  good  hand  upon  me.  lie  is  putting  strength  into 
his  feeble  servant,  and  making  use  of  me  as  his  instru- 
ment, good  for  nothing  though  I  am  apart  from  him. 
Now  will  I  run  to  the  battle  w^ith  alacritj^  and  I  will  use 
my  sling  with  the  best  skill  I  have,  taking  quiet,  calm, 
deliberate  aim  at  that  monster's  brow,  since  I  believe  that 
God  will  guide  the  stone  and  accomplish  his  own  end." 
When  you  are  bent  on  serving  God  give  him  your  best ; 
keep  not  back  aught  of  nerve  or  muscle,  aught  of  skill 


David^'s  First   Victory.  265 

or  sagacity  yon  can  dedicate  to  the  enterprise.  Say  not, 
"  Anything  will  do  :  God  can  bless  my  lack  as  well  as 
my  competency."  Doubtless  he  can,  but  undoubtedly  ho 
will  not.  Be  careful  to  do  your  best.  David  in  his  old 
age  and  his  riper  experience  would  not  affer  to  God  that 
which  cost  him  nothing.  Do  not  attempt  to  render  unto 
God  slovenly  service,  and  flatter  yourselves  that  he  will 
bless  it.  He  can  bless  it ;  but  that  is  not  the  way  in 
which  he  usually  deigns  to  work.  Though  he  often  takes 
rough  tools,  he  fashions  them  and  polishes  them  for  his 
use.  He  can  convert  rude  men  into  able  ministers  of  the 
New  Testament.  Think  not,  however,  that  his  grace 
will  excuse  your  presumption.  But  go  with  the  instru- 
ments you  have  proved.  When  any  of  you  working 
men  attempt  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  do 
not  try  the  fine  arguments  that  are  often  used  to  com- 
bat infidels.  You  will  never  manage  them.  They  will 
be  sure  to  embarrass  you.  Tell  to  your  neighbors  and 
comrades  what  you  have  felt  and  handled  of  the  "Word 
of  Life.  Declare  to  them  those  things  that  are  written 
in  the  Scriptures.  These  texts  are  the  smooth  stones 
that  will  suit  your  sling.  Keep  to  these  things.  Why, 
they  tell  us,  now-a-day,  that  we  ought  to  take  up  those 
arguments  which  are  invented  by  modern  philosophers, 
examine  them,  study  them,  and  come  forward  on  the 
Sabbath  day  and  at  other  times  to  answer  them  ;  that 
we  should  use  historical  research  and  logical  acumen  to 
rebut  infidel  calumnies.  Ah  !  Saul's  armor  does  not  fit 
us.  They  that  like  it  may  wear  it ;  but,  after  all,  to 
preach  Christ  and  him  crucified — to  tell  out  the  old,  old 
story  of  eternal  love  and  of  the  blood  which  sealed  it, 
the  manner  of  redemption,  the  truth  of  God's  unchange- 
12 


266  Types  and  Emblems. 

able  grace — tins  is  to  use  those  stones  and  that  sling 
which  will  surely  find  oat  the  forehead  of  the  foe. 

Next,  observe  that  from  the  work  which  David  be- 
gun he  ceased  not  till  he  had  linished  it.  He  had  laid 
the  giant  prone  upon  the  soil,  but  he  was  not  satisfied 
till  he  had  cut  off  his  head.  I  wish  that  some  who  work 
for  Christ  would  be  as  thorough  as  this  young  volunteer 
was.  Have  you  taught  a  child  the  way  of  salvation? 
Do  not  leave  off  till  that  child  is  enrolled  in  the  fellow- 
ship of  believers.  Have  you  faithfully  preached  the  gos- 
pel to  any  congregation  of  people  ?  Continue  to  instruct, 
counsel,  and  encourage  them,  until  you  see  them  estab- 
lished in  the  foith.  Or  if  you  have  refuted  a  heresy,  or 
denounced  a  vice,  follow  up  the  assault  until  the  evil  is 
exterminated.  Not  only  kill  the  giant,  but  have  his  head 
off !  Kever  do  the  work  of  the  Lord  deceitfully.  Never 
spare  a  device  of  the  devil  pitifully.  Bad  habits  and  be- 
setting sins  should  be  levelled  with  a  decisive  blow. 
But  let  not  that  be  enous^h.  Give  them  no  chance  of  re- 
covering  their  strength.  With  humble  penitence  and 
earnest  resolution,  in  reliance  on  God  and  detestation 
of  the  foe,  see  to  it  that  the  head  shall  be  taken  from  the 
sin  as  well  as  the  stone  sunk  in  its  forehead.  In  so  doing 
you  may  look  for  help  you  had  not  reckoned  on.  You 
have  no  sword  with  you  :  you  have  not  wanted  to  cum- 
ber yourself  with  one,  even  as  David  had  no  need  to  carry 
a  sword  in  his  hand,  for  Goliath  was  carrying  a  sword 
with  him,  which  might  well  serve  for  his  own  execution. 
AYhenever  you  serve  God  you  strive  against  error ;  re- 
member that  every  error  carries  the  sword  with  which  it 
will  be  slain.  In  maintaining  the  cause  of  truth,  we  need 
not  be  surprised  if  the  fight  be  long ;  but  we  may  always 


DaviiVs  First   Victory.  267 

count  on  the  pride  of  the  adversary  turning  to  his 
own  hurt.  The  conflict  will  be  shortened  by  himself. 
When  the  invaders,  most  of  all,  relied  on  the  alliances 
they  had  formed,  it  often  happened  that  Israel  won  the 
day  through  theMoabites  and  the  Assyrians  falling  out 
among  themselves.  Yery  frequently  it  has  been  God's 
plan  to  let  his  adversaries  turn  upon  each  other  and  end 
the  fight  to  his  servants'  comfort.  Behold  the  giant's 
head  taken  off  with  his  own  sword.  Let  it  be  before 
your  eyes  for  a  sign.  It  matters  not,  brethren,  though 
we  should  be  in  the  minority  on  certain  eminent  matters, 
as  we  undoubtedly  are.  The  question  for  you  is,  are 
you  right  ?  Are  you  right  ?  The  right  is  sure  to  win  ! 
Have  you  truth  on  your  side  ?  Have  you  the  Bible  on 
your  side  ?  Have  you  Christ  on  your  side  ?  A¥ell,  you 
may  belong  to  a  despised  community;  you  may  be 
associated  with  a  very  few  and  a  very  poor  people. 
Flinch  not — let  not  your  heart  quail.  Had  you  no 
strength  with  which  to  overcome  the  adversary,  except- 
ing that  w^iich  is  promised  by  God,  you  have  quite 
enough.  But  there  lies  in  ambush,  in  the  camp  of  your 
adversary,  an  assistance  and  an  aid  to  truth  that  you  have 
not  perhaps  thought  of.  The  old  dragons  stings  himself 
to  death.  x\s  vice  consumes  the  vitals  of  the  man  who 
indulges  in  it,  so  does  error,  in  the  long  run,  become  its 
own  destroyer.  Full  often  truth  shines  out  the  more 
brightly  from  the  very  fact  that  an  error  has  beclouded 
the  world  with  its  dense  shadows.  Go  on, then  !  Strive 
with  coolness  and  courage !  Be  not  daunted  by  the 
comely  face,  the  princely  figure,  or  the  battle  array  of 
your  antagonist !  Let  not  his  vaunting  words  deter  you. 
Call  on  the  name  of  Jehovah,  the  Lord  of  hosts,  and  use, 


268  Types  and  Einblems, 

even  in  God's  battles,  those  weapons  which  yon  have 
tested  and  proved.  But  take  care  to  go  through  with 
God's  work  ;  do  it  thoroughly,  looking  unto  Jesus,  the 
author  and  finisher  of  your  faith  ;  so  beloved,  you  may 
expect  to  go  from  strength  to  strength  and  bring  glory 
to  God. 

I  would  we  were  all  on  the  Lord's  side,  that  we  were 
all  the  soldiers  of  Christ.  Do  any  here  confess  that  they 
are  not?  Are  there  any  of  you  that  feel  sin  lying 
heavily  upon  you,  and  yet  you  fain  would  be  at  peace 
with  God  in  fellowship  with  Jesus  \  Beloved,  Jesus  has 
never  yet  rejected  one  that  came  to  him.  It  has  never 
yet  been  said  that  his  blood  was  not  able  to  cleanse  the 
vilest  soul  !  Go  to  him.  You  cannot  give  him  greater 
joy  than  by  going  to  him  and  confessing  your  sin  and 
seeking  his  mercy.  He  waits  to  be  gracious.  He  slays 
sin,  but  he  takes  pity  on  sinners.  He  is  ready  to  pardon 
them.  He  is  the  enemy  of  Goliath,  but  he  sits  on 
Zion's  hill,  glad  to  welcome  the  very  poorest  of  the  poor 
that  come  to  him.  If  you  are  the  worst  sinner  that  ever 
lived,  he  is  still  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost.  If  you 
have  no  hope  and  no  confidence — if  you  feel  as  though 
sentence  had  gone  forth  that  you  should  die  for  ever, 
your  fears  are  no  clue  to  God's  counsels.  He  has  not 
spoken  the  bitter  things  you  have  imagined  against  your- 
self. Give  ear  to  what  he  has  said — "Let  the  wicked 
forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts ; 
and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy 
upon  him  ;  and  to  our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly  par- 
don." Oh  !  to  be  on  Christ's  side,  maintains  the  heart 
in  calm  and  inflames  the  soul  with  joy,  notwithstanding 
the  pain  that  now  tortures  your  nerves,  or  the  shame 


Bavid^s  First    Victory.  269 

that  mantles  your  cheeks  !  But  ah  !  to  be  on  the  other 
side— to  be  an  enemj^  of  Jesus— is  a  woe  that  blights 
all  present  joy,  and  a  portent  that  augurs  all  future 
bane.  The  future,  the  future,  the  future  !  This  is  the 
worst  of  all  to  be  dreaded.  "  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be 
angry,  and  ye  perish  from  the  way,  when  his  wrath  is 
kindled  but  a  little.  Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their 
trust  in  him."  The  Lord  give  you,  every  one  of  you, 
to  be  thus  timely  wise,  for  his  name's  sake.     Amen. 


§alriir  an!i>  Jis  §oIuiitfM's. 

"  And  of  the  Gadites  there  separated  themselves  unto  David 
into  the  hold  to  the  wilderness,  men  of  might,  and  men  of  war  fit 
for  the  battle,  that  could  handle  shield  and  buckler,  whose  faces 
were  like  the  faces  of  lions,  and  were  as  swift  as  the  roes  upon 
the  mountains  ;  Ezer  the  first,  Obadiah  the  second,  Eliab  the  third, 
Mishmannah  the  fourth,  Jeremiah  the  fifth,  Attai  the  sixth,  Eliel 
the  seventh,  Johanan  the  eighth,  Elzabad  the  ninth,  Jeremiah  the 
tenth,  Machbanai  the  eleventh.  These  were  the  sons  of  Gad, 
captains  of  the  host :  one  of  the  least  was  over  an  hundred,  and  the 
greatest  over  a  thousand.  These  are  they  that  went  over  Jordan 
in  the  first  month,  when  it  had  overflown  all  his  banks  ;  and  they 
put  to  flight  all  them  of  the  valleys,  both  toward  the  east  and 
toward  the  west." — 1  Chronicles  xii.  8-15. 


AYID,  compelled  to  flee  from  his  own  country, 
and  to  hide  himself  from  the  malice  of  Saul, 
was  eminently  a  type  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  wlio,  in  the  days  when  he  dwelt  here 
among  men,  was  despised  and  rejected  of  men. 
And  at  this  moment  it  is  well  known  to  the  true  church 
of  God,  and  it  becomes  palpably  evident  to  every  ear- 
nest believer  in  the  gospel,  that  Jesus,  the  son  of  David, 
is  not  received,  acknowledged,  or  tolerated  in  this 
present  evil  world.  He  has  gone  forth  without  the 
camp.  All  who  would  repair  to  him  must  go  forth 
likewise,  bearing  his  reproach.  These  eleven  Gadites 
— all  of  them  remarkable  men — espoused  the  cause  of 


David  and  his   Volunteers.  271 

David  when  lie  was  in  his  very  worst  condition  ;  they 
left  the  ease  and  comfort,  the  honors  and  emohiinents, 
of  their  own  home  to  associate  themselves  with  him 
when  he  was  regarded  as  an  outlaw  under  tlie  ban  of 
society.  And  to  this  day  every  Christian  who  is  faith- 
ful to  his  profession  must  separate  himself  from  his 
fellow  men  to  be  a  follower  of  the  despised  Jesus.  In 
that  way,  and  with  that  faith  which  men  still  count 
heresy,  must  he  join  himself  with  that  sect  which  is 
everywhere  spoken  against,  running  the  gauntlet  of 
the  age,  if  he  would  espouse  the  cause  of  the  Lord's 
anointed. 

In  tracing  out  the  parallel,  let  me  now  draw  your 
attention,  first  to  the  leader  who  commanded  the  vol- 
untary homage  of  good  and  valiant  men,  and  then  to 
the  recruits  who  joined  themselves  to  liim,  of  whom 
we  find  a  graphic  description  in  our  text. 

I.  The  leader,  whom  we  regard  as  a  type  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ',  was  David,  the  son  of  Jesse;  and  in  tra- 
cing out  some  points  of  analogy,  we  begin  by  noticing 
that,  like  David,  our  Lord  was  anointed  of  God  to  be 
the  leader  of  his  people.  Hence  the  words  of  prophecy 
concerning  him,  "  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant 
with  you,  even  the  sure  mercies  of  David.  Behold,  I 
have  given  him  for  a  witness  to  the  people,  a  leader 
and  commander  to  the  people."  The  Spirit  of  God  is 
upon  Jesus  of  Kazareth,  for  him  hath  God  the  Father 
anointed.  "  Unto  him  shall  the  gathering  of  the  peo- 
ple be."  We  may  well  be  ready  to  follow  a  leader 
whom  God  hath  appointed  and  commended  to  us  with 
such  high  praise.  "  I  have  laid  help  upon  one  that  is 
mighty,  I  have  exalted  one  chosen  out  of  the  people. 


272  Tyjpes  and  Emhlems. 

I  have  found  David  my  servant ;  with  mv  holy  oil  have 
I  anointed  him :  with  whom  my  hand  shall  be  estab- 
lished :  mine  arm  also  shall  strengthen  him."  The 
Lord  in  his  own  sovereignty,  wdth  wisdom  and  pru- 
dence, has  been  pleased  to  fix  his  choice  upon  the  man 
Christ  Jesus  to  be  our  Federal  Head,  our  King,  and 
our  Commander.  What  other  justification  do  we  need 
for  following  Christ  than  that  God  himself  thus  sets 
him  forth?  To  this  choice  of  God  our  soul  agrees. 
Never  be  afraid,  young  man,  of  acknowledging  Christ. 
isTever  let  any  of  us  blush  to  own  the  blessed  impeach- 
ment that  we  are  followers  of  the  Lamb.  It  is  an 
honor  to  follow  one  who  has  the  highest  sanction  of 
heaven  in  taking  the  command  and  exercising  the 
authority  that  pertains  to  him. 

Jesus  was  like  David,  too,  in  that  he  was  personally 
fit  to  be  a  leader.  David,  alike  by  his  character  and 
his  deeds  of  prowess,  had  become  the  foremost  man  of 
his  times.  So  our  blessed  Lord,  as  to  his  person,  is 
just  such  a  King  as  one  might  desire  to  obey  ;  and,  as 
for  his  achievements,  O  tell  what  his  arm  hath  done — 
what  spoils  from  death  his  right  hand  won  !  Let  his 
fame  be  spread  over  all  the  earth  !  He  stood  in  the 
gap  when  there  was  none  to  help.  He  vanquished 
the  foe  who  threatened  our  destruction.  He  set  his 
people  free.  He  led  their  captivity  captive.  In  point 
of  courage  and  in  feats  of  war  he  so  outstripped  David 
that  I  may  safely  say  David  has  slain  his  thousands, 
but  Jesus  his  tens  of  thousands.  He  is  a  man  of  war. 
The  Lord  is  his  name.  He  hath  defeated  all  the  prin- 
cipalities and  powers,  and  put  to  rout  all  the  hosts  of 
hell  that  came  against  his  people.     Therefore  let  him 


David  and  his   Volunteers.  273 

be  acknowledged  as  King.  Who  else  should  be  exalted 
among  the  people  but  he  who  hath  done  wonderful 
things  for  the  people  ?  No  marvel  that  the  men  of 
Israel  gathered  around  David  with  a  glowing  enthu- 
siasm, and  proved  their  patriotism  by  their  allegiance 
to  his  sovereignty.  Nor  need  we  wonder  that  the 
children  of  God  should  shout  — 

"  All  liail  the  power  of  Jesu's  name  ! 
Crown  liim  Lord  of  all." 

Right  well  does  he  deserve  all  the  homage  we  can  ever 
ascribe  to  him. 

But  our  Lord,  though  anointed  of  God  and  meriting 
the  distinction  which  he  gained,  was,  nevertheless,  like 
David,  rejected  of  men.  Poor  David !  Saul  thirsted 
for  his  blood,  put  him  upon  dangerous  enterprises,  in 
the  hope  that  he  might  die ;  and  when  he  saw  that  God 
was  with  him,  he  hated  him  yet  the  more,  till  he  hunted 
him  like  a  partridge  upon  the  mountains.  He  could 
find  shelter  nowhere.  If  he  went  to  the  priests  of 
Nob,  the  king  came  and  slew  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city  ;  or  if  he  went  to  Keilah,  and  fought  w^ith  the 
Philistines  and  saved  the  inhabitants  of  Keilah,  yet 
by  and  by  they  *  were  willing  to  give  him  up  to  his 
enemies.  He  was  safe  nowhere.  Now,  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  here  upon  earth  was  in  like  manner  despised 
and  rejected  of  men ;  nor  has  the  ofience  of  his  cross 
ceased  to  this  day.  You  may  be  a  nominal  Christian, 
and  have  the  good  esteem  of  all  men  ;  but  if  you  are 
a  true  disciple  of  Jesus,  obeying  him  from  the  heart, 
openly  avowing  his  cause,  and  diligently  testifying  his 
name,  you  will  meet  with  bitter  hostility  in  all  sorts 
of  places  and  among  all  sorts  of  people.     Best  assured 


274  Types  and  Emhhms. 

that  until  Christ  comes  it  will  be  true  that  if  je  were 
of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own,  but  because 
ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  Christ  hath  chosen  you  out 
of  the  world,  therefore  the  world  hateth  you.  There 
may  be  Christians  placed  in  such  sheltered  nooks,  and 
living  among  such  godly  families,  that  they  do  not 
come  into  collision  with  the  outside  world;  but  if  you 
do  come  into  connection  with  the  world  in  any  way, 
you  will  be  sure  to  prove  its  enmity.  As  it  is  in  rebel- 
lion against  God,  and  hostile  to  Christ,  it  will  be  intol- 
erant of  you.  So  Ishmael  persecuted  Isaac  even  in 
Abraham's  own  household.  So  the  seed  of  the  serpent 
hates  the  seed  of  the  woman.  So,  too,  those  that  are 
under  the  law  own  no  kindred  with  those  that  are  the 
children  of  the  promise.  Marvel  not  then  ;  it  scarcely 
becomes  you  to  murmur,  though  it  sometimes  appears 
to  you  a  hard  lot.  Jesus  Christ  is  still  as  a  root  out 
of  a  dry  ground,  without  form  or  comeliness  to  the  mass 
of  mankind.  True  religion  is  not  still  to  be  found  in 
fashionable  circles  ;  it  finds  little  favor  among  the  great 
and  mighty,  though  to-day  it  does  not  hide  its  head  in 
the  clefts  and  caves  of  the  rocks.  While  the  violence 
of  persecution  is  abated  in  its  outward  manifestations 
of  terror,  the  malice  out  of  which  it  grew  still  survives, 
and  the  people  of  God  are  harassed  by  it  in  a  thousand 
wayc.  The  iron  is  made  to  enter  into  their  soul.  Thus 
the  cruel  jealousy  and  the  galling  animosity  with  which 
David  was  driven  forth,  and  hunted  from  place  to 
place,  find  a  counterpart  in  the  treatment  that  Christ 
himself  received,  and  that  all  hisfliithful  followers  have 
in  their  measure  to  endure.  But  notwithstanding  the 
pains  and  penalties  they  incurred  in  those  dark  days, 


David  and  his    Volunteers.  275 

tlie  really  good  and  pions  people  in  Israel  rallied  to  the 
stand  rd  of  David.  I  know  it  is  said  that  those  who 
were  in  deht  and  discontented  came  to  David.  That 
is  qnite  true ;  and  well  it  typifies  the  ahject  condition 
of  those  poor  sinners  who  come  to  Christ  for  refuge ; 
but  many  of  those  Israelites  were  reduced  in  circum- 
stances and  brought  into  debt  through  the  bad  govern- 
ment of  Saul.  Probably  the  very  best  people  in  the 
country  were  to  be  found  among  those  who  gathered 
around  David  ;  and  certainly  there  was  with  David, 
Abiathar  the  high  priest.  He  came  to  David  as  the 
representative  of  the  godly,  the  puritanic  party.  With 
David  likewise  there  was  Gad  the  prophet.  .  And  you 
know  how  in  the  early  days  of  David's  persecution  he 
resided  with  Samuel  the  prophet  of  the  Lord  :  so  that 
the  gracious  party  was  always  on  David's  side.  Does 
not  the  like  thing  happen  among  those  who  ally 
themselves  with  the  Son  of  David  at  this  day  ?  Although 
he  whom  we  worship  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men, 
yet  unto  you  who  believe  he  is  precious.  They  that 
fear  the  Lord  love  Christ  and  embrace  his  gospel. 
Those  that  have  a  new  heart  and  a  right  spirit  are  not 
at  all  dubious  which  side  to  take.  They  have  lifted 
up  their  hands  to  the  crucified  One,  and  they  are  sworn 
to  do  battle  for  his  cause  as  long  as  they  live.  We 
need  not  be  ashamed  to  side  with  Jesus,  for  we  shall 
be  in  good  company — not  in  the  company  of  the  nobles 
of  the  earth,  those  who  bear  its  titles,  own  its  wealth, 
or  enjo}^  its  empty  fame,  but  in  the  company  of  the 
pure  in  heart,  of  the  heirs  of  the  promises,  of  those  to 
whom  God  has  been  pleased  to  reveal  himself,  yea, 
of  the  babes  out  of  whose  mouths  he  has  perfected 


276  Types  and  ErabUnu. 

praise.  O  we  may  be  well  content  to  cast  in  our  lot 
with  God's  elect,  be  they  who  they  may  in  the  world's 
esteem,  or  be  their  lot  what  it  may  in  their  pilgrimage 
to  the  better  country.  With  them  would  we  be 
numbered  ;  with  them  would  we  be  associated  ;  with 
them  would  we  go.  Let  Christ's  people  be  our  people. 
Where  they  toil  would  we  toil;  with  them  would  we 
live ;  with  them  would  we  die  ;  with  them  would  we 
be  buried,  in  the  glad  hope  that  with  them  we  shall 
rise  again,  to  live  for  ever  in  the  fellowship  of  the  saints. 
Mark  one  thing  more.  Despised  as  David  was 
among  men,  yet,  being  anointed  of  God,  his  cause  in 
the  end  was  successful.  He  did  come  to  the  throne  : 
and  so  it  is  with  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Notwith- 
standing all  the  opposition  that  still  rages  against  his 
cause,  it  must  prosper  and  prevail.  He  shall  see  his 
seed  ;  he  shall  prolong  his  days,  and  the  pleasure  of  the 
Lord  shall  prosper  in  his  hands.  Well  may  the  enmity 
of  the  wicked  provoke  the  irony  of  heaven.  "  Why  do 
the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people  imagine  a  vain  thing  ? " 
"He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh:  the  Lord 
shall  have  tliem  in  derision."  It  is  Jehovah  himself  who 
says  it :  "Yet  have  I  set  my  king  upon  my  holy  hill  of 
Zion."  God's  decree  has  placed  him  there.  Shall  the 
conspiracy,  think  ye,  of  kings  and  rulers  unseat  him  ? 
Nay,  there  must  he  sit,  till  all  his  enemies  are  beneath 
his  feet.  O  it  is  good  to  be  with  Christ  to-day,  for  then 
we  shall  be  with  him  to-morrow.  It  is  good  to  be  with 
him  in  the  pillory,  for  if  we  can  bear  the  reproach  we 
shall  one  day  be  with  him  on  his  throne  to  share  the 
glory.  If  you  will  walk  with  Christ  through  the  mire, 
when  he  goes  barefoot,  you  shall  be  with  him  in  the 


David  and  his    Yolunteers,  277 

golden  streets  wlien  lie  puts  on  the  golden  sandals,  and 
the  angels  fall  down  and  worship  him.  O,  if  you  can 
foot  it  with  him  in  his  deeds  of  service,  when  he  grows 
weary  and  footsore,  you  shall  ride  with  him  on  his  white 
horse  of  victory,  when  all  the  armies  of  heaven  shall 
follow  him  in  his  great  achievements.  If  you  are  with 
him  in  his  humiliation,  you  shall  be  with  him  in  his 
triumph.  I  think  I  have  told  you  before,  a  little  parable, 
w-hich  I  will  venture  to  repeat  in  this  place.  There  was 
a  certain  king  whose  son  was  sent  upon  an  errand  to  a 
far  country,  and  when  he  came  into  that  country,  al- 
though he  was  the  lawful  prince  of  it,  he  found  that  the 
citizens  would  not  acknowledge  him.  They  mocked  at 
him,  jested  at  him,  and  took  him  and  set  him  in  the 
pillory,  and  there  they  scoffed  at  him  and  pelted  him 
with  tilth.  ]S"ow,  there  was  one  in  that  country  who 
knew  the  prince,  and  he  alone  stood  up  for  him  w'hen 
all  the  mob  was  in  tumult  raging  against  him.  And 
when  they  set  him  on  high  as  an  object  of  scorn,  this 
man  stood  side  by  side  with  him  to  wipe  the  filth  from 
that  dear  royal  face ;  and  when  from  cruel  hands  mis- 
siles in  scorn  were  thrown,  this  man  took  his  full  share ; 
and  whenever  he  could  he  thrust  himself  before  the 
prince  to  ward  off  the  blows  from  him  if  possible,  and  to 
bear  the  scorn  instead  of  him.  Now  it  came  to  pass 
that  after  awhile  the  prince  went  on  his  way,  and  in  due 
season  the  man  w^ho  had  been  the  prince's  friend  was 
called  to  the  king's  palace.  And  on  a  day  when  all  the 
princes  of  the  court  were  round  about,  and  the  peers 
and  nobles  of  the  land  were  sitting  in  their  places,  the 
king  came  to  his  throne  and  he  called  for  that  man,  and 
he  said,  "  Make  w^ay,  princes  and  nobles  !     Make  way  ! 


278  Types  and  Emblems. 

Here  is  a  man  more  noble  tlian  you  all,  for  he  stood 
boldly  forth  with  my  son  when  he  was  scorned  and 
scoffed  at  I  Make  way,  I  say,  each  one  of  you,  for  he 
shall  sit  at  my  right  hand  with  my  own  son.  As  he 
took  a  share  of  his  scorn,  he  shall  now  take  a  share  of 
his  honor."  And  there  sat  princes  and  nobles  who 
wished  that  they  had  been  there,  ay  !  envied  the  man 
who  had  been  privileged  to  endure  scorn  and  scoffing 
for  the  prince's  sake !  You  need  not  that  I  interpret 
the  parable.  May  you  make  angels  envious  of  you,  if 
envy  can  ever  pierce  their  holy  minds.  You  can  sub- 
mit for  Christ's  sake  to  sufferings  which  it  is  not  pos- 
sible for  seraphim  or  cherubim  to  endure. 

II.  Having  thus  drawn  your  attention  to  the  Leader 
whom  David  the  Son  of  Jesse  prefigured,  let  me  turn 
now  to  speak  a  little  of  those  who  gathered  round  him 
and  enlisted  in  his  service.  The  recruits  who  came  to 
David  wore  eleven  in  number.  The  first  characteristic 
we  read  about  them  is  that  they  were  separated.  "  Of 
the  Gadites,  there  separated  themselves  unto  David," 
eleven  persons.  They  were  separated.  Observe  that. 
They  separated  themselves.  They  seem  to  have  been 
captains  of  the  militia  of  their  tribe.  The  very  least 
among  them  was  over  a  hundred,  and  the  greatest  over 
a  thousand.  But  they  separated  themselves  from  their 
commands  over  their  tribes — separated  themselves  from 
their  brethren  and  their  kinsfolk.  I  dare  say  many  of 
their  friends  said  to  them,  "  Why,  what  fools  you  are ! 
You  must  be  mad  to  espouse  the  cause  of  a  fellow  like 
David ! "  and  then  they  would  call  David  all  manner 
of  foul,  opprobrious  names.  "  Are  you  going  to  be 
amongthose  who  associate  with  him, — a  troop  of  banditti, 


David  and  his  Volunteers.  279 

— that  ragged  regiment  ?  "  I'll  be  bound  to  say  tliey 
had  terms  for  David  and  his  men  which,  in  ears  polite, 
it  would  not  be  meet  to  quote.  It  is  a  mercy  that  the 
language  of  those  men  of  Belial  has  not  been  recorded. 
But  these  men  all  said,  "Yes,  we  will  separate  our- 
selves." And,  for  the  matter  of  that,  they  did  not 
merely  tear  themselves  away  from  their  friends,  but 
from  their  kinsfolk  too.  David  wanted  their  right 
arms  and  he  should  have  them.  He  wanted  valiant 
men,  and  they  would  go  and  fight  for  David,  whatever 
fond  connection  should  be  sundered  thereby. 

Dear  friends,  in  these  times  it  is  most  important 
that  everyone  who  is  a  Christian  should  under- 
stand that  he  must  separate  himself  from  the 
w^orld.  Ye  cannot  serve  Christ  and  the  world  too. 
You  cannot  be  of  the  w^orld  and  of  Christ's  church. 
You  may  be  nominally  of  the  church  and  really 
of  the  world,  but  really  of  the  world  and  really  of 
the  church  you  cannot  possibly  be.  The  Christian 
must  differ  fi'om  the  world  in  many  things.  Jlis  lan- 
guage must  not  be  the  speech  of  Babylon,  but  the 
chaste,  pure  language  which  Christians  use.  His 
actions,  his  customs,  his  manners,  his  habits,  must  not 
be  like  those  of  other  men.  He  is  not  to  be  full  of 
affectation  and  eccentricity.  He  need  not  adopt  a 
peculiar  garb,  or  discourse  in  quaint  phrases,  or  speak 
with  an  unnatural  twang.  All  that  may  be  mere  for- 
malism. Still  there  is  ample  room  for  separateness  in 
that  which  meets  the  eye  and  addresses  the  ear  of  the 
observer.  We  need  not  display  vanity  in  our  attire. 
In  dress  Christians  will  be  simple  and  chaste,  not  ornate 
and  gaudy.     In  their  speech,  too,  the  children  of  God 


280  Types  aixd  Emblems. 

will  certainly  never  use  an  oath  or  lend  their  tongue  to 
the  semblance  of  a  lie ;  from  foolish  talking  and  jesting, 
which  are  not  convenient,  they  will  rigidly  abstain. 
But  the  tongue  of  a  believer,  my  brethren,  ought  to  be 
as  a  fountain  which  sendeth  forth  sweet  water;  in  his 
conversation  there  should- be  the  meekness  of  wisdom: 
and  when  he  cannot  speak  to  profit,  his  silence  may  bear 
witness  to  his  sincerity.  But  it  is  in  his  intercourse  with 
the  world  that  the  Christian  shows  the  moral  force  of 
his  character.  There  it  comes  out  because  it  cannot  be 
hid.  If  his  trade  has  become  used  to  tricks  and  strata- 
gems which  will  not  bear  the  light,  he  cannot  conform 
to  them ;  he  will  shrink  from  them  with  abhorrence :  he 
must  keep  a  clean  conscience.  Other  men  may  do  the 
thing  without  compunction.  It  may  have  become  "  the 
custom."  But  no  antiquity  or  universality  of  custom 
will  authorize  that  which  is  obviously  wrong :  so  he  can- 
not do  it  and  will  not  do  it,  for  he  is  a  Christian.  He 
counts  that  a  higher  morality  is  required  of  him  than 
of  an  ordinary  man,  and  after  this  higher  morality  he 
seeks.  From  the  world's  religion  the  man  of  God  will 
likewise  stand  aloof.  He  never  asks  himself  what  kind 
of  religion  does  the  present  age  consider  most  expedient. 
I^or  does  he  wish  to  find  out  the  fashionable  taste  in 
doctrine,  or  the  order  of  devotion  which  is  most  agreeable 
totheundevout ;  but  he  seeks  after  God,  he  diligently  in- 
quires for  God's  truth,  he  joins  himself  to  God's  church 
and  earnestly  promotes  its  welfare.  Moreover,  he  loves 
God's  ways  and  desireth  to  be  under  the  power  of  God's 
Spirit.  After  this  manner  he  separates  himself.  Does 
not  the  church  in  these  days  need  to  hear  sounded  every 
day,  as  a  thunder  clap,  that  divine  commandment — 


David  and  hu  Volunteers.  281 

"  Come  out  from  among  tliem,  and  be  ye  separate,  saith 
the  Lord,  and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing;  and  I  will  re- 
ceive joii,  and  will  be  a  Father  unto  jou,  and  ye  shall  be 
my  sons  and  daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty  "  ?    O, 
the  shameful  conformity  of  some  professors  with  the 
world.  It  degrades  the  church  and  debases  themselves. 
God  grant  that  w^e  may  be  stanch  in  our  nonconformity 
to  the  world  I  To  whatever  cliurch  we  may  belong,  may 
w^e  be ''  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  from  sin- 
ners."    Eut,  observe,  that  these  people  separated  them- 
selves unto  David.     You  may  separate  yourself  and  not 
separate  yourself  unto  Christ ;  and,  if  not,  you  only  change 
from  one  form  of  worldly-mindcdness  to  another.     We 
are  not  to  separate  ourselves  unto  self  righteousness,  or 
unto  affectation,  or  unto  a  sect,  but  unto  Christ.     These 
people  got  away  from  their  friends  that  they  might  get  to 
David.     We  are  to  get  away  from  the  world  that  we 
may  get  closer  to  Christ.     We  often  sing,  "Oh,  for  a 
closer  walk  wath  God ! "  But  if  our  w^alk  is  to  be  close 
with  God,  it  must  be  a  long  way  from  the  w^orld.     We 
must  separate  ourselves,  by  divine  grace,  unto  Christ. 
And  then,  as  you  read  that  they  separated  themselves 
unto  David  in  the  wilderness,  let  me  entreat  you  to  ask 
yourselves  if  you  are  ready  to  take  part  with  a  rejected, 
crucified  Christ.     Tens  of  thousands  would  separate 
themselves  to  David  if  he  were  in  Hebron  on  the  throne 
of  Israel.     They  would  go  there  to  crown  David  in  the 
day  of  his  prosperity  ;  but  the  thing  was  to  separate  them- 
selves unto  David  in  the  wilderness.  That  is  the  work  of 
real  grace  in  the  heart  which  leads  us  to  take  sides  witli 
a  despised  Christ.     O,  it  is  a  blessed  thing  when  Gocl 
teaches  you  to  say,  "  I  will  follow  the  truth  wherever  it 


2S2  Types  and  Emblems. 

leads  me.  I  will  follow  it,  though  some  shall  say  to  me, 
'  Yon  are  inconsistent.'  I  do  not  care  about  that.  Though 
they  shall  say,  *  Why,  you  are  landed  now  in  fanaticism.' 
1  do  not  care  Tibout  that.  I  will  be  a  fanatic.  If  the 
truth  leads  me  there,  I  will  separate  myself  in  the 
wilderness."  Though  they  should  tauntingly  say,  "  You 
only  go  to  some  '  Little  Bethel,'  which  is  frequented 
by  a  few  ignorant  and  vulgar  people."  Be  it  so.  If 
Christ  goes  there,  what  matters  that  to  us  ?  If  the 
truth  should  lead  us  down  into  the  hovel,  where  we  could 
only  associate  with  the  yqyj  lowest  of  the  low,  if  they 
were  the  Lord's  people,  they  should  be  our  delight.  I 
wish  this  spirit  were  in  all  Christians,  that  they  would 
be  loyal  to  truth  and  not  pander  to  the  world.  Do  not 
be  everlastingly  asking  yourselves  "  What  will  so-and-so 
say  ?  and  what  will  so-and-so  say  ?  "  Do  the  right,  and 
fear  not.  Believe  the  truth  :  let  what  will  come  of  it. 
Follow  the  straight  line  and  do  not  trim  your  way.  Go 
not  round  about  for  the  sake  of  policy,  but  take  sides 
with  Jesus  Christ  in  the  day  of  scoffing,  on  the  ground 
of  principle.  Do  I  speak  to  some  men  here  who  work 
in  factories  ?  O,  own  Christ  when  other  men  laugh  at 
him.  Stand  up  for  Jesus  when  the  whole  shop  is  full 
of  jesting  and  jeering  against  religion.  If  your  religion 
is  worth  having,  it  is  worth  enduring  a  little  banter  for. 
He  that  is  a  friend  must  be  a  friend  in  need.  If  you 
would  be  a  friend  of  Jesus  you  will  defend  his  name 
when  it  wants  a  defender  and  everybody  is  raging  at  him. 
To  come  to  the  Tabernacle  and  join  your  fellow  Chris- 
tians in  praising  Jesus  is  very  easy  and  involves  no  self- 
denial  ;  but  the  thing  is,  you  merchants,  to  praise  Jesus 
among  your  fellow  merchants  who  are  ungodly, — to  bear 


David  and  his  Volunteers,  283 

witness,  you  working  men,  among  others  who  fear  not 
the  Lord, — to  separate  yourselves  unto  David  in  the 
wilderness, — to  cleave  to  Christ  where  he  is  scoffed  at 
and  despised.  That  is  a  true  Christian.  I  beseech  you, 
test  yourselves  by  this ;  for  if  you  are  ashamed  of  him 
in  this  evil  generation,  he  will  be  ashamed  of  you  when 
he  cometh  in  his  glory.  But  if  you,  out  of  a  pure  heart, 
can  confess  him  before  a  godless  world,  he  will  ac- 
knowledge you  in  the  day  when  he  cometh  in  the  glory 
of  his  Father,  and  all  his  holy  angels  with  him.  O, 
for  grace  to  be  separate  in  this  way  ! 

Note,  next,  about  these  men  that  they  were  men  of 
might.  It  is  said  of  them  tliat  they  were  men  of 
might  whose  faces  were  like  faces  of  lions,  and  they  were 
as  swift  as  the  roes  upon  the  mountains.  All  that  came 
to  David  were  not  like  that.  David  had  some  women 
and  children  to  protect,  but  he  was  glad  to  receive 
others  that  were  men  of  might.  Now  there  came  to 
Jesus,  the  greater  David,  in  his  day,  the  weak  ones  of 
the  flock,  and  he  never  rejected  them.  He  was  glad  to 
receive  even  the  feeblest ;  but  there  did  come  to  our 
Lord  and  Master  eleven  men  who,  by  his  grace,  were 
like  these  Gadites.  Truly,  I  may  say  of  his  apostles, 
after  our  Divine  Lord  had  filled  them  with  his  Spirit, 
that  they  had  faces  like  lions  and  feet  like  hinds'  feet, 
so  swift  were  they  for  service  and  so  strong  for  combat. 
How  wondrously  they  ran  to  and  fro  to  the  very  ends 
of  the  earth,  like  the  roes  of  the  mountains  ;  and  how 
bravely  they  faced  persecution  and  opposition,  like  lions 
that  could  not  flinch  from  their  prey  ;  and  what  grand 
works  they  did  for  David !  Would  to  God  we  were 
like  them,  beloved  !     The  grace  of  God  can  make  U3 


284  Types  and  EmUems. 

like  them.  The  grace  of  God  can  make  us  brave  as 
lions,  so  that  wherever  we  are  we  can  hold  our  own,  or 
rather  can  hold  our  Lord's  truth,  and  never  blush  nor 
be  ashamed  to  speak  a  good  word  for  him  at  all  times. 
He  can  make  us  quick  and  active  too,  so  that  we  shall 
be  Hke  the  roes  upon  the  mountains.  I  am  afraid  that 
often  we  are  like  the  ass  that  coucheth  down.  We 
need  the  whip  and  tlie  spur  to  make  us  move.  We 
are  like  bullocks  unaccustomed  to  the  yoke  of  service. 
Yet  it  ouglit  not  to  be  so.  Loved  as  w^e  have  been 
with  such  great  love-,  and  having  tasted,  as  some  ofus 
can  testify,  of  such  dear  favors  from  our  Lord,  being 
indulged  with  such  intimate  fellowship  with  himself, 
and  sustained  as  we  are  now  w'ith  such  joy  and  peace 
in  him,  we  ought  to  serve  him  with  celerity  and  activity, 
with  courage  and  confidence.  We  really  should  outvie 
the  lion  for  his  bravery,  and  the  hinds  and  the  wild 
goats  of  the  rock  for  their  swiftness.  I  pray  it  may 
be  so.  May  God  send  to  this  church  men — and  women 
too — of  this  order,  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power 
of  his  might,  to  whom  the  joy  of  the  Lord  shall  be  their 
strength,  who  shall  go  about  their  Father's  business 
with  all  their  mio:ht — that  mis^ht  which  is  sriven  them 

O  O  o 

of  God — and  do  great  exploits  for  David  while  he  is 
in  the  wilderness  and  needs  their  aid. 

But  it  is  w^orth  noticing  that  they  were  men  of  war, 
inured  to  discipline — men  tit  for  the  battle,  that  could 
handle  shield  and  buckler.  Now  there  are  some  men 
of  might  who  do  not  seem  to  be  good  men  of  war, 
because  they  cannot  keep  rank.  What  exploits  they 
may  do  they  needs  must  do  alone,  for  they  cannot  march 
with  the  armv.     There  are  some  brethren  I  know  who 


David  and  his  Volunteers.  285 

are  most  excellent  people  as  individuals,  but  they  seem 
never  to  be  meant  to  march  in  the  ranks ;  they  must 
everyone  of  them  lead — they  feel  they  must,  they  can- 
not be  second  to  anybody ;  neither  can  they  be  under 
any  discipline  or  rule.  Instead  of  taking  their  place 
in  Christ's  church,  they  seem  to  consider  themselves 
independent  of  the  church  and  its  organization.  How- 
beit,  the  men  Christ  wants  in  the  church — and  I  pray 
him  to  multiply  their  number  in  our  midst,  and  enlist 
all  of  us  among  them — are  such  as  can  keep  step,  observe 
the  rule,  and  preserve  order  in  the  march,  or  in  the 
fight  for  the  service  of  the  Lord.  Men  who  can  smite 
the  foe,  who  can  handle  the  sword  and  buckler,  and 
ward  ofi"  the  arrows  of  the  enemy,  who  can  use  the 
shield  of  faith  and  withstand  the  assaults  of  the  adver- 
sary :  we  want  these.  May  God  teach  us  how  to  keep 
our  places  and  to  do  our  work.  Some  men  have  swords, 
but  their  swords  seem  to  be  more  dangerous  to  their 
friends  than  to  their  foes.  That  is  a  kind  of  people 
one  wishes  to  keep  clear  of.  They  are,  no  doubt,  very 
zealous,  but  if  they  had  a  little  more  love  as  well  as  a 
lot  of  zeal,  and  were  endowed  with  a  capacity  for  fel- 
lowship, it  would  greatly  improve  their  character. 
This,  however,  seems  to  be  their  defect.  They  have 
such  an  excess  of  individuality,  and  they  are  withal  so 
exclusive,  that  we  can  hardly  imagine  how  they  could 
pray — "  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven,"  or  recognize 
anybody  else  as  belonging  to  the  family  of  the  Most 
High.  God  make  us  men  of  might,  but  may  he  also 
make  us  men  of  discipline.  While  we  keep  our  place,  and 
do  our  own  work,  may  we  delight  to  see  others  do  their 
share  of  the  work  too.     When  we  smite  the  foe  may 


286  '-Typ^s  and  Emhlems. 

we  delight  to  see  others  use  the  weapons  of  Christian 
warfare  with  skill  and  success.  Do  not  shrink  from 
the  drill  or  revolt  against  discipline,  for  it  is  a  great 
trait  of  a  good  soldier  that  he  should  know  how  to  keep 
rank.  These  Gadites  likewise  furnish  us  with  a  noble 
example  of  strong  resolution.  When  the  eleven  men 
determined  to  join  David  they  were  living  the  other 
side  of  a  deep  river,  which  at  that  season  of  the  year 
had  overflowed  its  banks,  so  that  it  was  extremely  deep 
and  broad.  But  they  were  not  to  be  kept  from  joining 
David,  when  he  wanted  them,  by  the  river.  They 
swam  through  the  river  that  they  might  come  to  David. 
O,  I  would  like  to  hold  up  my  Master's  banner,  and  be 
his  recruitins:  sero^eant  to-nio^ht,  if  I  could  entertain  the 
hope  that  out  of  this  company  there  would  come  men 
of  such  mettle  whose  hearts  the  Lord  has  touched  to 
join  themselves  to  the  Lord,  and  tight  for  his  cross, 
whatever  might  impede  and  stop  their  way.  Do  you 
stand  back  and  shrink  from  avowing  your  attachment 
to  the  standard  of  God's  anointed  because  it  would  in- 
volve a  loss  of  reputation,  displeasure  of  friends,  the 
frowns  of  your  associates  in  the  world,  or  the  heart- 
breaks of  anguish  of  those  you  tenderly  love  ?  Know, 
then,  that  our  Lord  is  worthy  of  all  the  troubles  you  incur 
and  all  the  risks  you  run  ;  and  be  assured  that  the  peace 
which  a  soul  enjoys  that  once  joins  Christ  in  the  hold, 
and  abides  with  him  in  the  wilderness,  well  repays  a  man 
for  all  that  he  has  to  part  with  in  getting  to  his  Lord 
and  Master.  We  have  known  some  of  the  rich  that  have 
joined  Christ's  church  that  have  had  to  swim  through 
overflowing  rivers  of  contumely  ;  the  unkindness  they 
have  braved  has  indeed  been  cold  and  chilling.     A7e 


David  and  his  Volunteers,  287 

have  known  many  a  poor  woman  who  has  had  to  suffer 
from  her  husband's  brutalitj^  and  many  a  poor  man  who 
has  had  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  a  thousand  cruel  tongues. 
But  who  is  afraid  ?  Once  see  the  King  in  his  beuty,- 
and  your  fears  will  vanish  like  smoke.  Did  you  ever 
see  his  face  bestained  with  spittle,  and  black  and  blue 
with  the  blows  of  mailed  hands  ?  Did  you  ever  see  that 
head  surrounded  with  the  thorn  crown,  and  mark  the 
painful  agony  that  was  upon  his  visage,  more  marred 
than  any  man's  ?  And  have  not  you  said,  "  Saviour, 
since  thou  didst  endure  all  this  for  me,  there  is  nothing 
that  I  will  count  hard  to  endure  for  thee.  I  will  count 
shame  for  tliee  to  be  my  glory,  and  thy  reproach  shall 
be  greater  riches  to  me  than  all  the  treasurers  of  Egypt  '■  \ 
Have  not  you  said  that  ?  If  you  have  said  so  from 
your  very  soul,  God  the  Holy  Ghost  writing  it  upon 
your  heart,  I  know  you  have  resolved  to  endure  any  pain 
or  shame  if  you  could  but  get  to  your  Lord  and  stand 
side  by  side  with  him.  They  swam  the  riv^er  to  get 
to  David.  O,  believer,  swim  the  river  to  be  with  Christ ! 
IS'ow,  it  would  appear  that  after  they  had  got  across 
the  river  they  were  attacked,  but  we  are  told  that  they 
put  to  flight  all  them  of  the  valleys  both  toward  the  east 
and  toward  the  west.  They  were  men  of  such  resolu- 
tion that  if  they  had'to  fight  to  be  on  David's  side  they 
could  light ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of 
those  on  the  right  hand  and  the  opposition  of  those  on 
the  left,  still  push  their  way,  lion-like  men  as  they  were, 
through  all  the  forces  that  would  impede  them.  O  ye 
that  love  the  Lord  and  Master,  I  beseech  you  in  this 
evil  day,  this  day  of  blasphemy  and  rebuke,  stand  not 
back  :  be  not  craven.     Cast  in  your  lot  with  him  and 


288  Types  and  Emhlems.    . 

with  his  people.  Come  to  the  front,  hide  not  away  like 
cowards  ;  for  this  is  the  day  when  he  shall  be  accursed 
that  comes  not  to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  to  the  help  of  the 
Lord  against  the  mighty  !  See  you  not  everywhere 
how  truth  is  fallen  in  the  street — how  the  old  idols  of 
Rome  are  once  more  set  up  in  the  high  places  of  this 
land  ?  The  whole  nation  seems  to  have  gone  after  the 
idols  which  our  fathers  removed.  O  ye  that  love  Christ, 
come  out  and  separate  yourselves  from  all  acquaintance, 
all  association  with  this  evil  thing.  Come  and  join  your- 
selves unto  the  Son  of  God  by  a  holy  covenant.  If  he 
be  your  beloved,  and  if  his  grace  be  in  your  heart,  fear 
not.  What  have  you  to  fear  ?  Greater  is  he  that  is 
with  you  than  all  they  that  are  against  you.  Fear  not. 
The  battle  is  not  yours,  it  is  the  mighty  God's.  If 
truth  be  with  you,  you  must  conquer.  If  Christ  the 
incarnate  truth  be  with  you,  you  are  already  more  than 
a  conqueror  through  him  that  has  loved  you.  Kever 
be  ashamed,  never  turn  aside  from  him  who  gave 
himself  for  you.  Be  steadfast,  immovable.  For  this 
steadfastness  you  need  to  pray  much  and  often  to  God, 
for  many  are  the  seductions  of  the  world. 

Can  ye  cleave  to  vour  Lord,  can  ye  cleave  to  your  Lord, 

When  the  many  turn  aside '? 
Can  ye  witness  that  he  hath  the  living  word, 

And  none  upon  earth  beside  ? 

Do  ye  answer  we  can,  do  ye  answer  we  can, 
Through  his  love's  constraining  power? 

But  do  ye  remember  the  flesh  is  weak, 
And  will  shrink  in  the  trial  hour  ? 

Yet  yield  to  his  love,  who  around  you  now 

The  bands  of  a  man  would  cast ; 
The  cords  of  his  love,  who  was  given  for  you. 

To  his  altar  binding  you  fast. 


David  and  his    Volunteers.  289 

Do  examine  yourselves.  Prove  your  own  hearts. 
Consider  vvliat  manner  of  men  ye  ought  to  be.  Let 
the  precepts  admonish  you.  Let  the  esprit  de  corps 
stimuhate  you.  Never  let  the  disciples  of  Christ  fall  be- 
hind followers  of  David  in  warmth  of  attachment,  or  in 
order  of  service.  The  nearer  you  get  to  the  person  of 
your  Lord,  the  more  you  will  catch  of  his  spirit.  Me- 
thinks,  beloved,  you  need  direction  more  than  exhorta- 
tion. The  more  you  live  under  his  eye,  and  the  of  tener 
you  listen  to  his  voice,  the  better,  truer,  nobler  men 
you  will  prove  now,  and  the  happier  recognition  you 
will  find  in  the  day  of  his  appearing. 


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